deprogram
Americanverb (used with object)
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to free (a convert) from the influence of a religious cult, political indoctrination, etc., by intensive persuasion or reeducation.
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to retrain, as for the purpose of eliminating or replacing a learned or acquired behavior pattern or habit that is undesirable or unsuitable.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deprogram
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.
Toss it on, let the bops bop, and maybe help deprogram your local Disney adult.
From Salon • Jun. 28, 2025
It may take you a while to figure this out, but that isn’t uncommon even when someone isn’t attempting to deprogram from the almighty RPM of an appliance.
From Slate • Sep. 5, 2021
“But the country has changed, the population is young, and the Taliban will not suddenly be able to deprogram people and tell them the world is flat when they know that it is not.”
From New York Times • Aug. 30, 2021
A renowned authority on mind control encounters a formidable challenge when he is hired to deprogram a strong-willed cultist.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2021
I deprogram the air filters and open the windows.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
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.
