as in separating
to set or force apart
to have a fruitful discussion, we need to decouple fact from opinion
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Recent Examples of decoupling
American manufacturers remain deeply dependent on Chinese supply chains despite years of rhetoric about decoupling the two economies.
—
Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
In the 1970s, once President Richard Nixon ended Bretton Woods by decoupling the dollar from gold, that privilege was revived in oil and debt, requiring every country on Earth to accumulate dollars simply to buy oil, and then reinvest those dollars back into American debt.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
The company expects to continue decoupling revenue growth from emissions, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint even as sales expand.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Feb. 2026
The United States had more luck decoupling from China, with American imports of Chinese goods plummeting by nearly 32 percent to $202 billion in 2025.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
Now, decoupling supply chains are driving manufacturing growth in the West once more, electric vehicles and home heat pumps need to be plugged in, and the makers of AI’s large language models have ever-increasing power needs.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
More and more, state lawmakers are decoupling vaccine rules from the federal recommendations, with about half of states going their own way, Kates said.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Jan. 2026
But decoupling from the United States would not be easy, fast or cheap.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Many legislatures are likely to pick and choose, keeping politically popular provisions like tax breaks for tips, while decoupling from business provisions like full bonus depreciation.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
In the 1970s, once President Richard Nixon ended Bretton Woods by decoupling the dollar from gold, that privilege was revived in oil and debt, requiring every country on Earth to accumulate dollars simply to buy oil, and then reinvest those dollars back into American debt.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
The company expects to continue decoupling revenue growth from emissions, aiming to reduce its carbon footprint even as sales expand.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Feb. 2026
The United States had more luck decoupling from China, with American imports of Chinese goods plummeting by nearly 32 percent to $202 billion in 2025.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 19 Feb. 2026
Now, decoupling supply chains are driving manufacturing growth in the West once more, electric vehicles and home heat pumps need to be plugged in, and the makers of AI’s large language models have ever-increasing power needs.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
More and more, state lawmakers are decoupling vaccine rules from the federal recommendations, with about half of states going their own way, Kates said.
—Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Jan. 2026
But decoupling from the United States would not be easy, fast or cheap.
—Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Many legislatures are likely to pick and choose, keeping politically popular provisions like tax breaks for tips, while decoupling from business provisions like full bonus depreciation.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decoupling
Verb
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But more than that, Haacke was proposing how politics and art might be intertwined, too, by dissolving the institutional wall separating art from the world outside it.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
24 May 2026
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From overpacking to not separating electronics to not packing your clunky shoes and belts, here are 10 carry-on mistakes, according to the TSA itself.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
23 May 2026
Verb
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This measures the degree by which tuition, donations and investment revenue cover a college’s educational expenses by subtracting its core expenses from its core revenues and dividing the difference by its core revenues.—
Matt Schifrin,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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Keep everything fair by dividing into new teams for each round.—
Robin Westen,
Parents,
21 May 2026
Verb
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The women’s voices rose, gentle and emotive in unison, before splitting into two concordant melodies.—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
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Rounding out the top three is Ronaldo’s longtime rival Lionel Messi, who brought home $140 million the past year, splitting those earnings evenly between on-the-pitch and off-field activities.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Features like front and rear locking differentials and a disconnecting front stabilizer bar help the truck crawl over obstacles that would challenge most pickups.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
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There are several natural gas marketers in the state, but the commission said Atlanta Gas Light is still responsible for the pipelines and connecting and disconnecting service.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decoupling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decoupling. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
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