disintegrates

verb

present tense third-person singular of disintegrate
1
as in decomposes
to go through decomposition fallen leaves slowly disintegrate over the course of the winter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 disintegrates Even those who can afford to stay suffer losses in home equity and lifestyle as the community around them disintegrates or disappears. — The Conversation, Fortune, 12 June 2026 None are quite about the conflicting frames of reference and value that arise when an ancient cultural formation disintegrates and a successor has yet to take its place. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 The skin stretches out and disintegrates, posing a risk of limb amputation. — Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 17 May 2026 The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 7 May 2026 But shortly thereafter, its nucleus fragments and quickly disintegrates. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026 The café disintegrates, white-peach mimosas lost forever. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026 If the American state disintegrates, future postmortems are unlikely to focus much on measles, or on rotavirus vaccination rates. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026 The debris — space rocks known as meteoroids — collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA. — Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 2 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disintegrates
  1. decomposes
  2. grinds
  3. disrupts
  4. decays
  5. pounds
  6. breaks
  7. rots
  8. crushes
Verb
  • The research team enabled a room-temperature, four-electron chemical reaction path that forms and decomposes lithium oxide, which expands available energy storage.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026
  • Organic material trapped in reservoirs accumulates and decomposes over time, releasing methane — a potent greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming, Fernández-Garrido told CNN.
    — Radina Gigova, CNN Money, 27 May 2026
Definition of decomposes
Verb
  • The Food Processor quickly chops, slices, and shreds a wide array of ingredients for unlimited culinary creations, while the Coffee & Spice Grinder efficiently grinds coffee beans, spices, and herbs for superior flavor and potency.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 June 2026
  • With a range of 50 to 300 kilometers, the drones, all made in Ukraine, are designed to throttle the Russian army’s logistics – adding a new dimension of strikes to Ukraine’s strategy as the war grinds through its fifth year.
    — Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN Money, 20 June 2026
Definition of grinds
Verb
  • The pipeline has played a key role in moving Saudi oil exports to market as Iran disrupts the Strait of Hormuz with attacks on tankers.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 30 July 2026
  • The election law, enacted in July last year by the previous military government, imposes punishments of up to the death penalty for anyone who opposes or disrupts elections.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of disrupts
Verb
  • Control concentrated in one person dies with that person, decays with that person's judgment, and converts to cash the day that person takes a hard enough offer.
    — Kyle Westaway, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Europe will not be able to defend itself militarily if democracy decays internally.
    — Wendell Wallach, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026
Definition of decays
Verb
  • Back from a hamstring injury, Teoscar Hernández rejoins a relentless Dodgers offense that pounds 17 hits and three homers in a 9-4 win over the Athletics.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • Teams go bonkers when the player pounds their school name on the bracket.
    — John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2026
Definition of pounds
Verb
  • What breaks is the process, because it wasn't designed intentionally.
    — Muhammad Usman Qamar, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • From the very first confessional in episode one, Schroeder breaks the fourth wall by stopping mid-interview to have a conversation with the producers about which footage to show.
    — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 28 July 2026
Definition of breaks
Verb
  • Parents used to tell their children that television rots the brain; now it’s considered a medium for legitimate art.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 1 June 2026
  • Training plants to stay off the ground instead of trailing prevents many common fungal diseases, fruit spots, and rots.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 May 2026
Definition of rots
Verb
  • Katie Ledecky crushes the world record in the 1,500 freestyle for her second gold medal at the world swimming championships in Barcelona, Spain.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • While this motion typically crushes or warps regular sneakers, these shoes bounce right back into their original shape, damage-free.
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of crushes

Browse Nearby Words

disintegrated
disintegrates
disintegrating
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disintegrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disintegrates. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on disintegrates

Nglish: Translation of disintegrates for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of highfalutin

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All