Definition of dissociate
dissociated
;dissociating
transitive verb
1 : to separate from association or union with another attempts to dissociate herself from her past
2 : disunite; specifically : to subject to chemical dissociation
intransitive verb
1 : to undergo dissociation
2 : to mutate especially reversibly
Explore M-W
dissociate was our Word of the Day on 10/29/2012. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Examples of dissociate in a Sentence
The director has tried to dissociate himself from his earlier films.
Why is the organization choosing to dissociate itself from its founder?
Recent Examples of dissociate from the Web
-
His cheek bone was completely shattered in multiple pieces and completely dissociated from the skull.
-
Do not dissociate the actual craft from the act of leadership.
-
A Twitter account for CBS News as well as one for the network’s Boston station dissociated themselves from Mr. Leavitt on the night of the Manchester terrorist attack.
-
Trademark law, long bound by notions of physical space and dissociated markets, is careening ass-first into cyberspace, which erases both.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dissociate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Dissociate and its synonym "disassociate" can both mean "to separate from association or union with another." "Associate" is from Latin ad-, meaning "to," and sociare, meaning "to join." Dis- means "do the opposite of." So both "dissociate" and "disassociate" indicate severing that which is united, but some commentators argue that "disassociate" is illogical because it indicates separating and uniting simultaneously. "Dissociate" is slightly older, dating from 1582; "disassociate" dates from 1603. "Dissociate" is recommended by a number of commentators on the ground that it is shorter, which it is by a grand total of two letters-not the firmest ground for an endorsement. Both words are in current good use, but "disassociate" is used more often in the U.S.
Origin and Etymology of dissociate
Latin dissociatus, past participle of dissociare, from dis- + sociare to join, from socius companion — more at social
DISSOCIATE Defined for English Language Learners
dissociate
playDefinition of dissociate for English Language Learners
-
: to end your relationship with or connection to someone or something : to separate (yourself) from someone or something
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of dissociate
dissociated
;dissociating
transitive verb
: to subject to chemical dissociation1
intransitive verb
: to undergo dissociation2: to mutate especially reversibly
Learn More about dissociate
-
See words that rhyme with dissociate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dissociate Spanish Central: Translation of dissociate Nglish: Translation of dissociate for Spanish speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up dissociate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!