disintegrate

verb

(ˌ)dis-ˈin-tə-ˌgrāt How to pronounce disintegrate (audio)
Definition of disintegratenext
1
as in to decompose
to go through decomposition fallen leaves slowly disintegrate over the course of the winter

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grind
to reduce to fine particles modern air pollution is gradually disintegrating the ancient temple's irreplaceable friezes

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to disrupt
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly a tornado disintegrated the building in a matter of seconds

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disintegrate The faction that had a chokehold on the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) roster for quite some time completely disintegrated in recent weeks leading to all four male members getting into a match for Mustafa Ali’s TNA International Championship. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Studying an intact oarfish is remarkably difficult because their bodies typically disintegrate into brittle segments upon death. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026 The white outer layer started to disintegrate before the audience’s eyes, eventually washing away to reveal a fire-red corseted bodysuit and miniskirt underneath—a pleasingly literal interpretation of the tour’s title. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2026 After 14 years of exploration, the Galileo spacecraft intentionally fell into Jupiter and disintegrated in the planet's dense atmosphere. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disintegrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disintegrate
  1. decompose
  2. grind
  3. disrupt
  4. decay
  5. crush
  6. break
  7. rot
  8. pound
Verb
  • The coins were originally buried together in a container made of organic material that has since decomposed, archaeologists believe.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Many of the children's bodies were severely decomposed, with only 26 able to be identified, and investigations into the other deaths are ongoing.
    — Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of decompose
Verb
  • For decades, junior accountants learned their trade by reconciling accounts, manually entering data, and grinding through the month-end close.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This innovation—the mass manufacture of ammonia, vastly more efficient than scraping guano off remote islands or grinding mountains of bison bones—removed the most critical nutrient bottleneck in global agriculture.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of grind
Verb
  • Sectarian tensions and the disrupting force of the Cold War plunged the Middle Eastern nation into decades of armed conflict, with a chilling effect on daily life.
    — Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The team radio can disrupt Antonelli’s concentration, so Wolff told me that the engineers have learned how to use it less often, or with fewer words.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of disrupt
Verb
  • In large computations, many qubits must wait between operations, during which their quantum states can decay.
    — Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • According to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, dead, diseased and decaying trees will be removed during the evening and overnights hours to ensure public safety.
    — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of decay
Verb
  • Fish die by being crushed, by asphyxiation, or by barotrauma—when fish surface quickly, things sometimes go pop.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Semiconductors have been crushed, down more than 15% this month.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of crush
Verb
  • Miami Hurricanes star wide receiver Malachi Toney once again broke records on Saturday.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The Senate Democrats first elected in 1958 established a critical mass that would later drive the bipartisan super-majorities needed to break the filibuster and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
    — Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of break
Verb
  • On the upside, my compost bin now smells like pumpkin spice rot.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Systems fail; unanticipated difficulties occur; things break or rot.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of rot
Verb
  • When Louise would remember the show decades later, the audience was always so electric that the room exploded into stamping feet and pounding fists.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Ukraine briefly halted such attacks, but has since resumed them — while Russia never stopped pounding Ukraine’s energy plants and cities.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of pound

Browse Nearby Words

disinhibition
disintegrate
disintegrated
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Cite this Entry

“Disintegrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disintegrate. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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