disagree
Americanverb (used without object)
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disagrees,
present (3rd person singular)
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disagreed,
past participle, past
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disagreeing
present participle
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to fail to agree; differ.
The conclusions disagree with the facts. The theories disagree in their basic premises.
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to differ in opinion; dissent.
Three of the judges disagreed with the verdict.
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to quarrel.
They disagreed violently and parted company.
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to cause physical discomfort or ill effect (usually followed bywith ).
The oysters disagreed with her. Cold weather disagrees with me.
verb
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to dissent in opinion (from another person) or dispute (about an idea, fact, etc)
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to fail to correspond; conflict
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to be unacceptable (to) or unfavourable (for); be incompatible (with)
curry disagrees with me
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to be opposed (to) in principle
Usage
What is a basic definition of disagree? Disagree means to not agree or to differ. Disagree can also mean to have different opinions or to cause physical discomfort. If two things disagree, they don’t match and most likely clash with each other. For example, the belief that pigs are able to fly disagrees with all scientific knowledge of pigs. The noun form of disagree is disagreement.
- Real-life examples: Countries often have plans that disagree with other countries’ plans. Scientists and historians often make discoveries that disagree with earlier information.
- Used in a sentence: When you measure a board twice and the measurements disagree, you should measure the board again.
- Real-life examples: People often angrily disagree with each other on social media. Political parties often disagree on many social issues. You may disagree with your friends on what the best flavor of ice cream is.
- Used in a sentence: My brother thinks green is the best color, but I disagree and think blue is the best.
- Real-life examples: If you have lactose intolerance, milk will disagree with you and will cause stomach aches and other problems if you drink it. Rotten food will probably disagree with you and cause food poisoning or vomiting.
- Used in a sentence: I try to stay inside in the winter because cold weather really disagrees with me.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disagreesimple
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disagreessimple
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have disagreedperfect
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has disagreedperfect
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am disagreeingprogressive
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are disagreeingprogressive
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is disagreeingprogressive
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have been disagreeingperfect progressive
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has been disagreeingperfect progressive
Past
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disagreedsimple
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had disagreedperfect
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was disagreeingprogressive
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were disagreeingprogressive
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had been disagreeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disagree
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, Middle French desagreer; equivalent to dis- 1 + agree
Explanation
When two people disagree, they have completely different opinions about something. You might disagree with your sister about whether chocolate or vanilla ice cream is the most delicious. Use the verb disagree to talk about what happens when you have a conflict or a difference of thought about something with another person. People disagree about politics, food, sports, and movies — there is no subject that won't cause most people to find a way to disagree. The word comes from combining the Old French agreer, "to receive with favor or take pleasure in" with the Latin prefix dis, which here means "do the opposite of."
Vocabulary lists containing disagree
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 3
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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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:
“While we disagree with the court’s ruling, UC will always seek to foster a welcoming environment that protects both freedom of expression and the fundamental rights of all members of our community,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
However, two retired officers, each of whom has dealt with space security, disagree.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
The people who disagree with the doomers still consider AI to be dangerous, and point out that such systems don’t have to be particularly capable to be powerful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
But some high-profile figures disagree with their call for a slowdown in AI development.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
I open my mouth to disagree but realize I can’t.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
The federal government disagrees, and its letter cited the law school’s application form.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Mr. Vance’s propensity to caricature arguments with which he disagrees puts me in mind of Barack Obama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Meta "strongly disagrees" with the allegations in the trial, a spokesperson told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Any time someone disagrees with them, they frame it as abuse.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
And if a tiny part of me disagrees with this, I’m not telling Max.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said the move was because "inflation is too high and has been for too long", though Trump disagreed with the decision.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
They disagreed with each other on many issues.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
His friend and casting director Kirsty McGregor, who cast “Colin” and “Last Seen,” disagreed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The proportion of astrobiologists who strongly disagreed fell dramatically, from 35.1% in the K2-18b case to just 11.1% for Mars.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
Sam always got scornful when other people disagreed with him, because he always thought he was right, although to be honest, a lot of the time he was right, because of being so smart.
From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Obviously, someone disagreeing with you isn’t workplace mistreatment or abuse.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Justice Brett Kavanaugh was the outlier in the decision, agreeing with the court’s judgment but disagreeing with its justification.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
Mr. Christakis defended his wife before a group of angry students for nearly an hour, vigorously disagreeing with them without ever retreating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
People at the festival called this one complex; I found myself disagreeing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
It looked to me like they were disagreeing about something.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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.
