disembark
Americanverb (used without object)
-
disembarks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disembarked,
past participle, past
-
disembarking
present participle
-
to go ashore from a ship.
-
to leave an aircraft or other vehicle.
verb (used with object)
-
disembarks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disembarked,
past participle, past
-
disembarking
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disembarksimple
-
disembarkssimple
-
have disembarkedperfect
-
has disembarkedperfect
-
am disembarkingprogressive
-
are disembarkingprogressive
-
is disembarkingprogressive
-
have been disembarkingperfect progressive
-
has been disembarkingperfect progressive
Past
-
disembarkedsimple
-
had disembarkedperfect
-
was disembarkingprogressive
-
were disembarkingprogressive
-
had been disembarkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disembark
1575–85; < Middle French desembarquer, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + embarquer to embark
Explanation
Use the verb disembark to describe leaving a ship, airplane or other type of vehicle, like making sure you haven't left anything in the plane's overhead compartment before you disembark. Embark means "putting passengers in a plane or on a boat." Disembark is its opposite. When you disembark, you leave a ship or a plane, like when you can't wait to disembark at the port in order to go sight-seeing. When you disembark, there is a transition — you walk down a gangplank to go from water to land or down a special corridor to get from the runway to the airport terminal — unlike when you get out of a car. That's why you wouldn't use disembark for getting out of a car.
Vocabulary lists containing disembark
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Chains
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Blood on the River
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
A U.S. cruise ship on a three-year voyage has suspended its journey in Cambodia due to high fuel costs, forcing hundreds of passengers to disembark.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
There were around 200 passengers on board when they were ordered to disembark in Cambodia, Bloomberg reported, citing the cruise operator's founder.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Healthcare worker Josie Donoghue said it was "an absolute nightmare" at Gatwick after leaving the airport, having had to disembark her flight to Ireland after three hours stuck on the runway.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
"It's just an absolute nightmare down there," healthcare worker Josie Donoghue said of Gatwick after leaving the airport, having had to disembark her flight to Ireland after three hours stuck on the runway.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
That meant I would have to disembark in Kiel without incident.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
Flavio Bolsonaro wears a black shirt and shoulders a backpack as he disembarks the plane alongside his wife and two daughters, AFP observes.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Once Chaplin’s character disembarks, though, a bit of pluck and a stranger’s generosity pull him out of a possible pit, and a new American life is born.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
The train then pulls into a station, and the man disembarks and flees down the platform.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025
The one-hour Seattle-Bremerton Washington State Ferry disembarks passengers and autos in downtown Bremerton.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
Dennis Rodman travels to North Korea as an unofficial ambassador on a mission of peace but is taken into custody the moment he disembarks from the plane.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
AFP reporters saw jubilant scenes as the evacuees disembarked buses in Ukraine's northern Chernigiv region, having been evacuated via Belarus.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
Passengers were disembarked from a rescue boat at the port of Calais later on Monday morning, AFP news agency reported.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
On Thursday, Congolese health authorities quarantined a boat carrying 255 people near the capital, Kinshasa, after a passenger who had disembarked at an earlier stop died from Ebola-like symptoms in late July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Some 400 years ago, a six-legged invader disembarked on the coast of Spanish Florida and began making its way across North America.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Bobby took the elevator to the thirtieth floor of the skyscraper at 110 West Fortieth Street, on the edge of the garment district, and when he disembarked, the elevator operator pointed to a doorway.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders were detained before disembarking from a flight in the capital New Delhi, where the demonstration was due to take place, the youth-led CJP said in a social media post.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Because the carriage had partially rolled in a remote location, passengers faced a jump down when disembarking and had to wait in a nearby field, she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Soon after disembarking at Hong Kong's train station, Chinese private investor Feng was opening a stock trading account at a nearby brokerage, hoping to evade tighter restrictions on capital leaving the country.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Cape Verde was the vessel's intended final destination, but authorities there prevented passengers from disembarking.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
He raised his voice over the hubbub of disembarking passengers.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
