detach

[dih-tach]

See more synonyms for detach on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to unfasten and separate; disengage; disunite.
Military. to send away (a regiment, ship, etc.) on a special mission.

Origin of detach

1470–80; < Middle French détacher, Old French destachier; see dis-¹, attach

Related formsde·tach·a·ble, adjectivede·tach·a·bil·i·ty, nounde·tach·a·bly, adverbde·tach·er, nounnon·de·tach·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·de·tach·a·ble, adjectivepre·de·tach, verb (used with object)self-de·tach·ing, adjectiveun·de·tach·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for detach

dissociate, disassemble, disentangle, separate, isolate, disengage, segregate, sever, free, loosen, loose, divide, disassociate, divorce, unhitch, disjoin, remove, uncouple, dismount, part

Examples from the Web for detach

Contemporary Examples of detach

“You have to be strong and detach yourself from what could happen,” Giffords told me last fall.
Gabrielle Giffords' Marriage to Astronaut Mark E. Kelly
Sandra McElwaine
January 9, 2011
Even if we were conscious of the manipulation, it was very hard to detach ourselves from that because we were so burned out.
A French Hero's Tale of Survival
Eric Pape
September 21, 2010

Historical Examples of detach

Detach the oysters from their shells and put then into china shells with their own liquor.
The Cook's Decameron: A Study in Taste:
Mrs. W. G. Waters
Nevertheless, Lady Spencer could not detach her daughter from the gay world.
Beaux and Belles of England
Mary Robinson
As the host let out pleasure boats, they asked him to come and detach one.
Therese Raquin
Emile Zola
Found on sticks and logs, they are quite hard to detach from their hosts.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
He stirred, seemed to detach himself from the rail with difficulty.
Chance
Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for detach

detach

verb (tr)

to disengage and separate or remove, as by pulling; unfasten; disconnect
military to separate (a small unit) from a larger, esp for a special assignment

Derived Formsdetachable, adjectivedetachability, noundetacher, noun

Word Origin for detach

C17: from Old French destachier, from des- dis- 1 + attachier to attach

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 detach

1680s, from French détacher "to detach, untie," from Old French destachier, from des- "apart" + attachier "attach" (see attach). Related: Detached; detaching.

detach in Medicine

detach

[dĭ-tăch′]

To separate or unfasten; disconnect.
To remove from association or union with something.