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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
Even those who can afford to stay suffer losses in home equity and lifestyle as the community around them disintegrates or disappears.
—Zac Taylor, The Conversation, 9 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 Conversation, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Even those who can afford to stay suffer losses in home equity and lifestyle as the community around them disintegrates or disappears.
—Zac Taylor, The Conversation, 9 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disintegrates
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
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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
Verb
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At The Happy Crane, Parry gives the char siu treatment to rich Iberico pork jowl, steams and grinds his own rice for the crab rice roll, and tosses Monterey abalone and Jimmy Nardello peppers into a smoking wok with XO sauce.—
Becky Duffett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
8 June 2026
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Not necessarily that the basketball becomes easier, but each minute is so tense, both teams are so focused and each possession is so tight that the winner is often decided by which team — or player — can execute when the game grinds to a halt.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Verb
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In their letter, the senators cited the approaching El Niño — a periodic Pacific warming that disrupts weather patterns and supercharges marine heat waves — as evidence the cuts are particularly ill-timed.—
Annika Hammerschlag,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
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Elizalde’s model at Viva disrupts the way business has been done in the past.—
Karen Idelson,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Verb
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So as radioactive uranium slowly decays into lead, the ratio of uranium to lead provides the age of the crystal.—
Howard Lee,
ArsTechnica,
11 Aug. 2025
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This interaction allows researchers to control how energy is stored and maintained within the quantum battery, especially the coherent part, which decays slower than incoherent energy.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Owens angrily pounds on Lorincz’s door, which is locked, and Lorincz calls the police.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The banging only grows louder as an unknown person pounds their forehead into a door.—
Connor Merrihew,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The solution breaks apart dirt and grease molecules and evaporates quickly to leave windows streak-free.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
12 June 2026
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Building it in-house produces a pipeline that breaks the first time a model changes.—
Krish Kumar,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Diaz leaving town crushes the Mets' bullpen going forward.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
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And while many television shows about teenagers tend to focus on physical appearance, crushes, and drama, this series explores how the characters learn to embrace and use their own unique gifts, to work collaboratively, and solve problems that require critical thinking.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disintegrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disintegrates. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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