disengage

[ dis-en-geyj ]
See synonyms for disengage on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),dis·en·gaged, dis·en·gag·ing.
  1. to release from attachment or connection; loosen; unfasten: to disengage a clutch.

  2. to free (oneself) from an engagement, pledge, obligation, etc.: He accepted the invitation, but was later forced to disengage himself.

  1. Military. to break off action with (an enemy).

verb (used without object),dis·en·gaged, dis·en·gag·ing.
  1. to become disengaged; free oneself.

Origin of disengage

1
1605–15; <Middle French desengager, equivalent to des-dis-1 + engager to engage

Other words from disengage

  • dis·en·gag·ed·ness [dis-en-gey-jid-nis, -geyjd-], /ˌdɪs ɛnˈgeɪ dʒɪd nɪs, -ˈgeɪdʒd-/, noun
  • self-dis·en·gag·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use disengage in a sentence

  • (As he is about to clasp her in his arms, she suddenly draws the sword at his side, and hastily disengages herself).

    The Robbers | Friedrich Schiller
  • He clasps her still closer to his bosom, and gazes upon her with wild and piercing looks; then suddenly disengages himself.

    Love and Intrigue | Friedrich Schiller
  • This conversion disengages as much heat as the passage from the liquid to the gaseous state had absorbed.

  • In the dry way, it dissolves by heat in bisulphate of potassa; and disengages sulphurous acid gas in the act of solution.

  • He starts from antecedents, but he is great in proportion as he disengages himself from them or absorbs himself in them.

    Sophist | Plato

British Dictionary definitions for disengage

disengage

/ (ˌdɪsɪnˈɡeɪdʒ) /


verb
  1. to release or become released from a connection, obligation, etc: press the clutch to disengage the gears

  2. military to withdraw (forces) from close action

  1. fencing to move (one's blade) from one side of an opponent's blade to another in a circular motion to bring the blade into an open line of attack

Derived forms of disengage

  • disengaged, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012