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:
That when you and the machine disagree about what just happened, you’re the one who has to prove it.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
With Odegaard, Guimaraes - who impressed in his 45 minutes on the pitch - Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Merino, it is hard to disagree.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Insurers and consumer advocates disagree on why the odds of getting paid on auto liability and medical claims have worsened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
“Traditionally, at age 60, target-date funds go mainly into bonds. I disagree with that strategy,” said Robert Pozen, a senior lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Fangburn was completely baffled, but he knew better than to disagree.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Meta "strongly disagrees" with the allegations in the trial, a spokesperson told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Whether the state agrees or disagrees to the changes then could lead to decertification, but the process laid out in the law appears to include multiple steps and opportunities for discussion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
If your father disagrees with renovations, who gets the final say?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
But Martin Gray disagrees and says the Games is a good thing.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
“On Lanning. The old fellow disagrees with me.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
Last week, BBC Sport revealed Arsenal were in talks with Villa about signing Konsa, but the clubs disagreed on his valuation.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Said claims she and Gutman disagreed about whether they should leave the work site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
In June, a South African court ruled he could be buried there, a decision Zambia's government said it disagreed with but would not appeal.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
When Kennedy ended up violating those pledges, Cassidy disagreed with him from the sidelines but could do little else.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
When we disagreed in our answers, Paul was usually right.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
Obviously, someone disagreeing with you isn’t workplace mistreatment or abuse.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Describing a result as a 'victory for football' might seem like a trite cliche - but you won't find many neutrals disagreeing with that description of Spain's win in the 2026 World Cup final.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 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
There was no sense in agreeing or disagreeing, the gulf between us was too wide; it was no use at all flinging our words at each other across that gaping chasm.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
