disband
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disbandsimple
-
disbandssimple
-
have disbandedperfect
-
has disbandedperfect
-
am disbandingprogressive
-
are disbandingprogressive
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is disbandingprogressive
-
have been disbandingperfect progressive
-
has been disbandingperfect progressive
Past
-
disbandedsimple
-
had disbandedperfect
-
was disbandingprogressive
-
were disbandingprogressive
-
had been disbandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disband
1585–95; < Middle French desbander, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + -bander, derivative of bande troop, band 1
Explanation
You know how rock bands are always forming and then breaking up? When they break up, they disband. The word disband refers to any group or unit of folks who decide to go their separate ways. Long before there were rock bands, groups of friends or warriors would band together for protection or companionship. They would become a band of sorts. The prefix dis comes from the Latin word for "apart." So if people come together to form a band — like Robin Hood's Merry Men — then if they disband, they decide to separate and break apart. Groups don't always disband because they want to. Sometimes police officers or government officials disband groups they believe are a nuisance or a threat.
Vocabulary lists containing disband
This Week in Words: August 13-18, 2017
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Nelson Mandela "I am Prepared to Die" (1964)
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Rather than disband the Vermont Rainbow Coalition after the 1984 primary, they kept the group going, endorsing candidates in campaigns for the legislature and statewide office in each of the next three election cycles.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026
In 1949, Down Beat magazine, long a champion, even urged him to disband.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
It was the inner circle, a cabal I’d tried to disband for more than a decade.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
Tensions between the Turtles and White Whale escalated in 1970, leading the group to disband.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025
Act like it, or we’ll disband this bloody Council and start from scratch.”
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
Before the mayor disbands the SRG, I would urge him to check the facts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
It disbands a myriad of existing working groups and replaces them with a centralized system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
The nine-member task force officially disbands Friday, but Democrat state Sen. Steven Bradford told the audience that the “final report is not the end of the work. It is really just the beginning.”
From Washington Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
The announcement effectively disbands aspects of Twitter’s tool kits for penalizing accounts — from those of presidents to foreign trolls — that break the company’s rules against hate speech, bullying and spreading misinformation around elections.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 29, 2022
"My son is in water up to his waist out there in Argonne," echoes a third, as the group disbands.
From With Those Who Wait by Huard, Frances Wilson
After the Ballet Russe disbanded, Monson de Kansky toured with the Marquis de Cuevas ballet company for nine years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Since the group disbanded in 1987, he has become a serial collaborator, working with everyone from The Pretenders and Talking Heads to Bryan Ferry, Oasis, Blondie, Beck, Modest Mouse, The Cribs and Franz Ferdinand.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
It wasn’t until 1989, in fact, that the Indianapolis Clowns officially disbanded, having outlasted the Negro Leagues themselves by several decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
That means making sure that vacant directorship positions are filled by qualified experts, the review panels necessary to award grants aren’t disbanded, and staffing is sufficient to meet the scientific and operational demand.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
In 1947, the laboratory disbanded East Computing, rerouting all open assignments to West Computing.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Before disbanding in 1991, it was the only such alliance in history whose members invaded each other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
He announced the disbanding of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team.
From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2025
In 2005, brothers Joseph and Jamie Adenuga were facing uncertainty in the wake of their rap crew disbanding.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025
Earlier this year, Nate Anderson, the founder of Hindenburg Research, announced that he was disbanding the company almost eight years after starting it.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
Chief Buthelezi called for the abolition of the Record of Understanding, the ending of CODESA, and the disbanding of Umkhonto we Sizwe.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
