1
as in decomposes
to go through decomposition
fallen leaves slowly disintegrate over the course of the winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of disintegrates
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.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 Jan. 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
The debris — small 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.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 27 Dec. 2025
The six-episode second season has followed how James and Ruby’s relationship disintegrates following their night of passion at the end of the first and the unexpected death of James’ mother.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 28 Nov. 2025
While the missile could, in theory, bypass missile defenses, each test risks radioactive fallout if the reactor disintegrates during flight or on impact.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
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.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 Jan. 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
The debris — small 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.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 27 Dec. 2025
The six-episode second season has followed how James and Ruby’s relationship disintegrates following their night of passion at the end of the first and the unexpected death of James’ mother.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 28 Nov. 2025
While the missile could, in theory, bypass missile defenses, each test risks radioactive fallout if the reactor disintegrates during flight or on impact.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disintegrates
Verb
-
Another process, thermogenic hydrogen formation, occurs in deep sedimentary basins when organic material decomposes under high temperatures, roughly 480 to 930 degrees Fahrenheit (250 to 500 degrees Celsius).—
Promise Longe,
The Conversation,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The clever bit is when these fuels flow through the Draper engine and encounter a catalyst that decomposes the hydrogen peroxide into high-pressure oxygen and steam.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of using a stick of or slices of pepperoni, the team grinds their pepperoni to bake inside their rolls.—
Elliott Harrell,
Southern Living,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The all-metal body and burrs (the wheely thing that grinds the pepper) sounded promising.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The seven-week conflict has jolted the global economy, with oil prices skyrocketing as the blockade disrupts vital shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Solar flares, intense bursts of energy in the sun's atmosphere, can trigger radio blackouts on Earth by increasing ionization in the upper atmosphere, which disrupts radio signals.—
Ryan French,
Space.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In theory, beryllium-8 normally decays into two helium-4 nuclei.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
-
This state then decays through a two-step cascade, releasing two photons in rapid succession.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Irons pounds the drums like Bam-Bam smashing on two garbage-can lids.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Macron said France is expending diplomatic capital to ensure a return to calm and to allow for the Lebanese armed forces to assert themselves as Israel pounds Hezbollah positions.—
Sylvie Corbet,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Scaling globally breaks that intimacy.—
Samuel Mueller,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
My heart breaks for them in a strange way.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The big differences between the labs probably reflect the fact that, as Italians like to say, the fish rots from the head.—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Bacterial plant diseases include speck (a winter-surviving infection that attacks tomatoes), canker (which damages fruit trees including those producing apples and peaches), and blight (which rots melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, and more).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
William crushes his cousin Ben (Alex Bhat) in a bear hug.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Mike Tyson plays a space-cadet version of himself, but the show transcends the one-note premise with its smart deployment of sharp joke writing, stellar voice actors (including Norm Macdonald, who crushes as a pigeon with a drinking problem), and a heavy dose of metafiction.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disintegrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disintegrates. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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