dismember

verb

dis·​mem·​ber (ˌ)dis-ˈmem-bər How to pronounce dismember (audio)
dismembered; dismembering (ˌ)dis-ˈmem-b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce dismember (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to cut off or disjoin the limbs, members, or parts of
2
: to break up or tear into pieces
dismemberment noun

Examples of dismember in a Sentence

The victims' bodies had been dismembered and buried in the basement. quickly dismembered the old toolshed and hauled it off to the dump
Recent Examples on the Web The man charged in the killing and dismembering of 19-year-old Sade Robinson has a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 22 at 1:30 p.m. in room 146 of the Milwaukee County Courthouse Criminal Justice Facility. Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2024 Court documents later revealed that Joshua's remains had been buried in a pet cemetery and Tylee had been dismembered and burned in a fire pit. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024 County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced on Friday that a suspect accused of fatally stabbing, decapitating, and dismembering a teenager in the Tonto National Forest last summer has been indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury. Madeline Nguyen, The Arizona Republic, 6 Apr. 2024 Read Next North Carolina Man missing since Christmas Eve was dismembered, sealed in concrete, NC sheriff says February 03, 2023 7:35 AM This story was originally published March 28, 2024, 6:50 AM. Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2024 Vanity Fair also reported Depp got up the courage to ask MBS about what happened to the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in 2018. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2024 An enormous amount of heat is produced as stars are dismembered by supermassive black holes. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2024 When a babysitter is dismembered and arranged on a suburban lawn, Garlin's Detective Handsome leaps into action, questioning eccentrics and generally not making a lot of progress. Danny Horn, EW.com, 4 Jan. 2024 Joseph Roberts had publicly called himself a victim of the #MeToo movement, only to later be charged with murdering and dismembering his fiancée. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dismember.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dismembren, from Anglo-French desmembrer, from des- dis- + membre member

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dismember was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near dismember

Cite this Entry

“Dismember.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dismember. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

dismember

verb
dis·​mem·​ber (ˈ)dis-ˈmem-bər How to pronounce dismember (audio)
dismembered; dismembering -b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce dismember (audio)
1
: to cut off or separate the limbs or parts of
2
: to break up or tear into pieces
dismemberment noun

Medical Definition

dismember

transitive verb
dis·​mem·​ber (ˈ)dis-ˈmem-bər How to pronounce dismember (audio)
dismembered; dismembering -b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce dismember (audio)
: to cut off or disjoin the limbs, members, or parts of
dismemberment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dismember

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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