dismember

verb

dis·​mem·​ber (ˌ)dis-ˈmem-bər 

dismembered; dismembering (ˌ)dis-ˈmem-b(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to cut off or disjoin the limbs, members, or parts of

2

: to break up or tear into pieces

dismemberment

(ˌ)dis-ˈmem-bər-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of dismember

• disrupt
• break
• destroy

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 crisis reached a peak in late 2018, when Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi American columnist for the Washington Post, was killed and dismembered by a hit squad inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

When Thorwald’s wife is nowhere to be seen the next day, Jeff is convinced that Thorwald murdered and dismembered her. — David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026

Compaq, the world’s largest PC maker at $42 billion in 2000, was swallowed by Hewlett-Packard, which then dismembered itself into four public companies. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

Los Angeles police investigators never recovered any of the tools Burke allegedly used to dismember Hernandez, and there are no witnesses who actually saw the murder. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for dismember

• crewmember
• december
• nonmember
• november
• remember
• september
• ember
• member

Kids Definition

dismember

verb

dis·​mem·​ber (ˈ)dis-ˈmem-bər 

dismembered; dismembering -b(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to cut off or separate the limbs or parts of

2

: to break up or tear into pieces

dismemberment

-bər-mənt 

noun

Medical Definition

dismember

transitive verb

dis·​mem·​ber (ˈ)dis-ˈmem-bər 

dismembered; dismembering -b(ə-)riŋ 

: to cut off or disjoin the limbs, members, or parts of

dismemberment

-bər-mənt 

noun