dismembering

verb

present participle of dismember
1
as in disrupting
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly quickly dismembered the old toolshed and hauled it off to the dump

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dismantling
to take apart dismembered the stage settings after the last performance

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 dismembering For several months, investigators alleged that Herrling kept the scheme going by moving Wilding's body to her apartment and dismembering it, although his remains were never found (investigators claimed it was disposed of in the San Francisco Bay). — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 Authorities stated that Jackson had allegedly placed his mother's body parts in a suitcase and flushed the rest down the toilet after dismembering her. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026 He is also accused of dismembering her body. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026 He was not charged with dismembering her body. — Mason Leath, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026 Previous reports suggest that Burke may have had help from another person in dismembering Hernandez’s body. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026 On Monday, cranes and demolition excavators tore down the exhibition hall closest to the Omni Hotel, dismembering parts of the building that will eventually unlock 20 to 30 acres for redevelopment and a new events facility. — Devyani Chhetri, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026 Hite is charged with murder, accused of killing and dismembering Wengel. — Ashley Grams, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026 Ana Walshe’s body was never found, but a slew of suspicious internet searches about dismembering and disposing of bodies was found on an electronic device in the home. — Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dismembering
  1. disrupting
  2. dismantling
  3. breaking
  4. disconnecting
  5. fracturing
  6. disassembling
  7. destroying
  8. detaching
Verb
  • Meanwhile in Romania over the weekend, the Danube plunged to its lowest level in 30 years, according to Reuters, disrupting shipping and leading to restrictions on irrigation.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • At least eight people have died as severe weather continues to sweep across the United States, with flash flooding, powerful thunderstorms and extreme heat disrupting travel and threatening communities on July 19.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 20 July 2026
Definition of disrupting
Verb
  • Technicians review video captured inside the engine to identify cracks, wear, and other damage without dismantling major components.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
  • The dismantling and scrapping process took over five years, with the project being completed in July 2017.
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026
Definition of dismantling
Verb
  • The club have responded by spending over £250m ($330m) on improving their squad this summer, twice breaking their transfer record with the signings of midfielders Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.
    — Jay Harris, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Solve Problems Beyond Your Job Description The first step to breaking a rut is to stop asking for permission and tackle a problem entirely outside your job description.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of breaking
Verb
  • Because vacation is about decompressing and disconnecting from daily life—not about worrying what’s going on at home.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
  • The experience—in keeping with the ROKI Collection philosophy of intentional luxury and tranquility--is all about disconnecting from the outside world and reconnecting with nature, but in pampered fashion.
    — Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of disconnecting
Verb
  • Necessary reckonings have pulled the deepest wounds of American history to the surface, fracturing the public into factions of the wronged, the guilty, and those in hysterical denial.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2026
  • This is an effort to get through the summer summit period without the Transatlantic Alliance fracturing and breaking apart.
    — Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 7 July 2026
Definition of fracturing
Verb
  • Different functions can be accessed by disassembling the multitool as needed.
    — Ben Coxworth July 14, New Atlas, 14 July 2026
  • Plus disassembling the drain pieces to clear a clog can be a hassle.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 30 June 2026
Definition of disassembling
Verb
  • Keeping your lawn and garden well-maintained can also help reduce grasshopper populations by destroying their breeding habitat.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 21 July 2026
  • But the Pentagon’s youthful set of avid desk-warriors forget that big hurricanes and regional weather events regularly disrupt waterfront facilities on the Gulf and East coasts, destroying worker housing and permanently peeling away shipbuilders.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Clean the Mouthpiece, Straw, and Lid After detaching the straw, use a straw cleaning brush or a pipe cleaner to thoroughly scrub it with a mild detergent.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 July 2026
  • Shortly after, Waldorf's placenta had trouble detaching.
    — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
Definition of detaching

Browse Nearby Words

dismembered
dismembering
dismemberment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dismembering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dismembering. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on dismembering

Nglish: Translation of dismembering 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 maverick

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All