as in analyzing
to identify and examine the basic elements or parts of (something) especially for discovering interrelationships
let's dissect the plot of this thriller to see what makes it thrilling
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Recent Examples of dissecting
Sarnoff had the job of dissecting Cornwell’s 29 works, which began rolling out in 1990, for the small screen.
—
Erin Jensen, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Members of the Seattle Seahawks’ front office can puff out their chests this offseason, knowing other teams will be dissecting their roster-building approach in an attempt to replicate it.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Militaries always maintain secrecy amid armed conflicts, and journalists always gather information from a variety of sources, which in 2026 means scouring commercial satellite imagery and dissecting eyewitness videos to better understand the battlefield.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Their greatest pleasure in life is seeing their favorite band play live — grooving out, going nuts, and dissecting every second afterward.
—David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026
TikToks promising secret loopholes, Reddit threads dissecting deductions and content creators insisting ways to outsmart the IRS.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Others, engineered either to replicate the biomechanics of human shot delivery or to fire stones consistently with repeatable speed and rotation, are transforming the sport by dissecting technique and strategy with a level of rigor no coach with a stopwatch could match.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026
After all, the story is so endlessly compelling that people are still discussing and dissecting it 200 years later.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin isn’t budging on his decision to keep the party’s internal report dissecting 2024 election losses under wraps — despite previously committing to releasing it.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Erin Jensen, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Members of the Seattle Seahawks’ front office can puff out their chests this offseason, knowing other teams will be dissecting their roster-building approach in an attempt to replicate it.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Militaries always maintain secrecy amid armed conflicts, and journalists always gather information from a variety of sources, which in 2026 means scouring commercial satellite imagery and dissecting eyewitness videos to better understand the battlefield.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 Mar. 2026
Their greatest pleasure in life is seeing their favorite band play live — grooving out, going nuts, and dissecting every second afterward.
—David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026
TikToks promising secret loopholes, Reddit threads dissecting deductions and content creators insisting ways to outsmart the IRS.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Others, engineered either to replicate the biomechanics of human shot delivery or to fire stones consistently with repeatable speed and rotation, are transforming the sport by dissecting technique and strategy with a level of rigor no coach with a stopwatch could match.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026
After all, the story is so endlessly compelling that people are still discussing and dissecting it 200 years later.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin isn’t budging on his decision to keep the party’s internal report dissecting 2024 election losses under wraps — despite previously committing to releasing it.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissecting
Verb
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Like, don’t get into analyzing it.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
15 Mar. 2026
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These include construction work, equipment maintenance, scientific experiments, as well as collecting and analyzing lunar samples.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Later this spring, the mayor’s office is interested in further examining costs related to event security, solid waste disposal, permits, right-of-way access and other elements.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2026
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Also, God forbid, but the examining team might need to unstitch a section of the dress, and there was just the slightest chance that it wouldn’t be put back exactly as it had been received.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dissecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissecting. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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