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demothball

American  
[dee-mawth-bawl, -moth-] / diˈmɔθˌbɔl, -ˈmɒθ- /

verb (used with object)

  1. to remove (naval or military equipment) from storage or reserve, usually for active duty; reactivate.

Etymology

Origin of demothball

de- + mothball

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.

Around a T-shaped table in the office of Interior Secretary Fred Seaton, 25 representatives of 15 major oil companies met last week to demothball a tool left over from Suez.

From Time Magazine Archive

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.