disengage
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disengages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disengaged,
past participle, past
-
disengaging
present participle
-
to release from attachment or connection; loosen; unfasten.
to disengage a clutch.
-
to free (oneself ) from an engagement, pledge, obligation, etc..
He accepted the invitation, but was later forced to disengage himself.
-
Military. to break off action with (an enemy).
verb (used without object)
-
disengages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disengaged,
past participle, past
-
disengaging
present participle
verb
-
to release or become released from a connection, obligation, etc
press the clutch to disengage the gears
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military to withdraw (forces) from close action
-
fencing to move (one's blade) from one side of an opponent's blade to another in a circular motion to bring the blade into an open line of attack
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disengagesimple
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disengagessimple
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have disengagedperfect
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has disengagedperfect
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am disengagingprogressive
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are disengagingprogressive
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is disengagingprogressive
-
have been disengagingperfect progressive
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has been disengagingperfect progressive
Past
-
disengagedsimple
-
had disengagedperfect
-
was disengagingprogressive
-
were disengagingprogressive
-
had been disengagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disengage
1605–15; < Middle French desengager, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + engager to engage
Explanation
To disengage means to "free or disentangle" yourself or some object from another person or object. No, it doesn't mean breaking off your engagement to your beloved — that's "chickening out." Does your mind wander when someone (your fiancé, for example) talks to you? Well, your mind can disengage as well, that is, stop paying attention. Disengage has quite a formal, intellectual ring to it, even if used about a situation as physical as two armies "disengaging from combat." It's a technical term, and faintly clinical; the kind of word frequently used by politicians and diplomats.
Vocabulary lists containing disengage
"The Lottery," Vocabulary from the short story
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"Of Mice and Men"
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A Doll's House
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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:
Ironically, while Expo Park desperately needs to connect, Oschin’s galleries succeed most when they disengage from the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
She also had a close call with the sunk cost fallacy: the failure to disengage from a probably doomed pursuit because of the time already invested in it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
After confirming speaking with family members at the scene, deputies decided to "tactically disengage while continuing to monitor the situation", police said.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
"If the strategy is not just to disengage from China, but it's to disengage more globally -- which I don't think it is, by the way -- I don't think it's sustainable," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
She made no response whatever to the clasp of his arm; she did not even try to disengage herself.
From "1984" by George Orwell
My hope is that he disengages from the issue.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026
Tesla’s FSD controls steering, acceleration and braking, but requires close human supervision and intervention if it disengages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
"It just disengages somebody - one half of the couple - because they don't have any of the information," she says.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025
If a pitcher disengages a third time and doesn’t record an out, a balk is called and all runners advance one base.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
He makes sure he does not disturb the arrangement of her shoes on the floor, but steps over them and disengages the back panel.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Some of the rallies were stunning, but he was playing carelessly at times, and sometimes seemed disengaged as his concentration fluctuated.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Mayra Goulart, political science professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told AFP the main challenge for Lula and Flavio will be to reach "disengaged voters" who are highly likely to abstain.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Authorities said they had “tactically disengaged while continuing to monitor the situation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
I disengaged this autopilot by saying “Generate the document,” then continued to write and edit myself, as usual.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
With a deep breath, Sarai disengaged a moth from the ledge and spurred it forward, a single smithereen of darkness dispatched into the dim.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
They are self-censoring and disengaging from campaign activism to avoid punitive measures.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
In non-hybrid models, the AWD system consists of an electromagnetic coupling ahead of the rear differential, engaging and disengaging the rear wheels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
The immediate payoff that comes from disengaging from social media might feel like “coffee money” in the short term, but “good habits have compounding effects,” Segrera said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2025
“And when you venture outside of it, it can be quite disengaging for people.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2025
Ned stood, gently disengaging himself from Sansa's grasp.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
