detach

[ dih-tach ]

/ dɪˈtætʃ /

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.

Nearby words

desulphurize, desultory, det, det., det. in dup., detach, detached, detached retina, detachment, detachment of retina, detail

Origin of detach

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

Related forms

de·tach·a·ble, adjectivede·tach·a·bil·i·ty, nounde·tach·a·bly, adverbde·tach·er, noun

non·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. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
He was subsequently ordered to detach two regiments, as guard for trains near Williamsport.
From Manassas to Appomattox|James Longstreet
Two or three campaigns like the last would alike break down the strength of Rome, and will detach her allies from her.
The Young Carthaginian|G.A. Henty

It is so connected with all parts of my treatise that I could not detach it without rendering the remainder wholly defective.
A Popular History of France From The Earliest Times|Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot
But she had seen in his eyes that he was acting a part—that he wished to detach her observation from her mother.
A Spirit in Prison|Robert Hichens
He gave Will Stuteley a signal to detach himself from them, and come to his side.
Robin Hood|Paul Creswick

British Dictionary definitions for detach

detach

/ (dɪˈtætʃ) /

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 Forms

detachable, 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

Medicine definitions for detach

detach

[ dĭ-tăch′ ]

v.

To separate or unfasten; disconnect.

To remove from association or union with something.