disassemble
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disassemblesimple
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disassemblessimple
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have disassembledperfect
-
has disassembledperfect
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am disassemblingprogressive
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are disassemblingprogressive
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is disassemblingprogressive
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have been disassemblingperfect progressive
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has been disassemblingperfect progressive
Past
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disassembledsimple
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had disassembledperfect
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was disassemblingprogressive
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were disassemblingprogressive
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had been disassemblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disassemble
Explanation
The verb disassemble means to take something apart. It's one thing to disassemble a computer; it's a whole other thing to put it back together again. If you take your car to the repair shop to have a squeaky brake fixed, you'll be surprised to see the mechanics quickly disassemble your car, removing even its wheels and doors. You can use the word disassemble whenever something's dismantled or broken into pieces. Originally, disassemble meant "to disperse," or to stop a crowd of people from assembling, but the meaning changed to its current definition in the 1600s.
Vocabulary lists containing disassemble
Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 9
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The Kill Order
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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.
For nearly half an hour, the soldier demonstrates different types of ammunition and how to assemble and disassemble the Kalashnikov using illustrated boards set up behind him on Haft-e Tir Square.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
“This Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts,” Rufe wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026
The modular building took 10 weeks to install - including laying its foundations - and will take just days to disassemble when it is no longer required.
From BBC • Nov. 10, 2025
However, much less is known about the membrane-free organelles that can dynamically assemble and disassemble inside the nucleus, such as the photobodies that help to sense light and temperature in plants.
From Science Daily • May 7, 2024
When we die our atoms will disassemble and move off to find new uses elsewhere–as part of a leaf or other human being or drop of dew.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
