disarm

verb

dis·​arm dis-ˈärm 

diz-,

ˈdis-ˌärm

disarmed; disarming; disarms

transitive verb

1

a

: to deprive of means, reason, or disposition to be hostile

disarmed criticism by admitting her errors

b

: to win over

2

a

: to divest of arms

disarm captured troops

b

: to deprive of a means of attack or defense

disarm a ship

c

: to make harmless

disarm a bomb

intransitive verb

1

: to lay aside arms

2

: to give up or reduce armed forces

disarmament

ˌdis-ˈär-mə-mənt 

noun

disarmer noun

Synonyms

• demilitarize

Examples of disarm in a Sentence

The government has been unsuccessful at disarming the rebels.

The terrorists have refused to disarm.

It took more than an hour to disarm the bomb.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Alexa integration only works with the latest version of SimpliSafe hardware, and the system can't be disarmed via voice (for obvious reasons). —PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2024

Netanyahu, however, has stood firm on his demands that Hamas be destroyed and Gaza disarmed as Israel oversees security in the battered enclave of more than 2 million Palestinians. —John Bacon, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024

Maina added that Ruto should push the UN to send in thousands of soldiers to disarm the gangs before the police are deployed to keep the peace. —Larry Madowo, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals Party and the NDP continued negotiating until the last moment on language and changes to different measures, such as adding a call for Hamas to disarm in order to include a call for a cease-fire. —Peter Aitken, Fox News, 20 Mar. 2024

As a result of the alleged incident, Hagerty was charged with three felonies: one count of assaulting a police officer and two counts of attempting to disarm a police officer. —Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2024

That’s when Boyle disarmed him with a simple request. —Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024

Netanyahu though has stood firm on demands that Hamas be destroyed and Gaza disarmed, and that Israel should oversee security in the territory. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024

In a March 4 statement by the Los Angeles Police Department, officers warn that a group in Wilshire is using Wi-Fi jamming technology to disarm surveillance cameras and alarm systems that rely on Wi-Fi. —Julia Daye, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English desarmen, literally, to divest of arms, from Anglo-French desarmer, from des- dis- + armer to arm

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

disarm

verb

dis·​arm (ˈ)dis-ˈärm 

1

: to take weapons from

disarm a prisoner

2

: to reduce the size and strength of the armed forces of a country

3

: to make harmless, peaceable, or friendly : remove dislike or suspicion

a disarming smile

disarmament

-ˈär-mə-mənt 

noun