dismantle

play

verb dis·man·tle \ (ˌ)dis-ˈman-tᵊl \

Definition of dismantle

dismantled; dismantling play \-ˈmant-liŋ, -ˈman-tᵊl-\

transitive verb

1 :to disconnect the pieces of

will have to dismantle the engine

; also :to destroy the integrity or functioning of

The program was later dismantled due to a lack of funding.

2 :to strip of dress or covering :divest

3 :to strip of furniture and equipment

dismantled the ship before scrapping it

—

dismantlement

play \-ˈman-tᵊl-mənt\ noun

See dismantle defined for English-language learners

See dismantle defined for kids

Examples of dismantle in a Sentence

The mechanic dismantled the engine to repair it.
When will they dismantle the old bridge?
The after-school program was dismantled due to lack of funding.
He accuses them of trying to dismantle the country's legal system.

Recent Examples of dismantle from the Web

Fearing for the safety of the art, staff began dismantling the exhibition.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "This Texas Museum Was Devastated by Ike. Here’s How It Prepared For Harvey," 29 Aug. 2017
This happened after Trump signed executive orders to begin dismantling the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, sending Goldman Sachs stocks soaring.

— thomas macmillan, Cosmopolitan, "Who Is Gary Cohn? 9 Things You Should Know About the White House Economic Adviser.," 25 Aug. 2017
It was dismantled and relocated to Brandenburg, Kentucky, a small Ohio River town about 45 miles away from Louisville.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "City reveals form for citizen comments on public art, ties to bigotry or discrimination," 15 Aug. 2017
At a time when skilled U.S. diplomacy is desperately needed to deal with North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria, Trump and Tillerson seem bent on dismantling our ability to act.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "Rex Tillerson conducts diplomacy as if he were still the godhead of Exxon Mobil | Trudy Rubin," 5 Aug. 2017
Thousands of activists spent months calling, e-mailing, and protesting against the different proposals to dismantle Obamacare.

— meredith clark, Glamour, "The Most Powerful Health Care Speech Didn't Belong to John McCain," 28 July 2017
Setting aside whether or not their policies of trust busting or expanding the role of the executive branch produced desirable outcomes, neither of these men sought to fundamentally dismantle the nation’s market economy.

— joe simonson, National Review, "It’s Time to Retire the ‘Progressive’ Label," 28 July 2017
President Donald Trump has appointed Gov. Sam Brownback to an ambassadorship, a little more than a month after the Kansas governor saw his signature tax policy dismantled by the state’s Legislature.

— bryan lowry and lindsay wise, kansascity, "Trump taps Brownback for ambassadorship focused on religious freedom," 26 July 2017
Since taking power in 2015, PiS has set about dismantling the country’s checks and balances.

— The Economist, "Poland’s government is putting the courts under its control," 22 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dismantle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dismantle

Middle French desmanteler, from des- dis- + mantel mantle

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First Known Use: 1579

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dismantle Synonyms

Synonyms

break down, demount, disassemble, dismember, dismount, knock down, strike, take down

Antonyms

assemble, construct

Related Words

detach, disengage; break up, disaggregate, disarticulate, disconnect, disjoin, disjoint, dissever, disunite, divide, separate

Near Antonyms

build, erect, pitch; combine, unite

DISMANTLE Defined for English Language Learners

dismantle

play

verb

Definition of dismantle for English Language Learners

: to take (something, such as a machine or structure) apart so that it is in separate pieces
: to destroy (something) in an orderly way : to gradually cause (something) to come to an end