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decommission

[ dee-kuh-mish-uh n ]
/ ˌdi kəˈmɪʃ ən /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR decommission ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to remove or retire (a ship, airplane, etc.) from active service.
to deactivate; shut down: to decommission a nuclear power plant.

RELATED WORDS

deactivate, retire, demilitarize

Nearby words

  1. decolonize,
  2. decolor,
  3. decolorant,
  4. decolorize,
  5. decolour,
  6. decommit,
  7. decompensate,
  8. decompensation,
  9. decompose,
  10. decomposed

Origin of decommission

First recorded in 1925–30; de- + commission
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for decommission

  • Will Obama decommission the U.S. Army, join the Non-Aligned Movement and invite Robert Mugabe to Camp David?

    How Obama Divides—and Conquers|Michael Fullilove|May 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST

  • Some were building robots that could decommission leaky gas-stations and crater out the toxic soil.

    Makers|Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for decommission

decommission

/ (ˌdiːkəˈmɪʃən) /

verb

(tr) to dismantle or remove from service (a nuclear reactor, weapon, ship, etc which is no longer required)
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

Word Origin and History for decommission

decommission

v.

1922, originally with reference to warships, from de- + commission (v.). Related: Decommissioned; decommissioning.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper