disassemble

American  

[dis-uh-sem-buhl] / ˌdɪs əˈsɛm bəl /

verb (used with object)

• disassembles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• disassembled,
  past participle,  past
• disassembling
  present participle

1. to take apart.

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verb (used without object)

• disassembles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• disassembled,
  past participle,  past
• disassembling
  present participle

1. to come apart.

   These shelves disassemble quickly for easy moving.

disassemble British  

/ ˌdɪsəˈsɛmbəl /

verb

1. (tr) to take apart (a piece of machinery, etc); dismantle

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• disassembly
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• disassembling
  present
• disassembled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• disassemble
  simple
• disassembles
  simple
• have disassembled
  perfect
• has disassembled
  perfect
• am disassembling
  progressive
• are disassembling
  progressive
• is disassembling
  progressive
• have been disassembling
  perfect progressive
• has been disassembling
  perfect progressive

Past

• disassembled
  simple
• had disassembled
  perfect
• was disassembling
  progressive
• were disassembling
  progressive
• had been disassembling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will disassemble
  simple
• will have disassembled
  perfect
• will be disassembling
  progressive
• will have been disassembling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of disassemble

First recorded in 1605–15; dis- ¹ + assemble

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disassemble disassembles disassembled disassembling

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

"However, there have been stacks created on parts of Mam Tor, and staff and volunteers will infrequently disassemble any found."

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2025

Afraid conditions would only worsen, leaders announced in May 2024 their plans to disassemble the chapel, a national historic landmark and popular wedding venue.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2025

Understanding the function of Golgi ribbons could have important medical implications, since Golgi ribbons are known to disassemble and contribute to pathology in neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and some viral infections.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 29, 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

Located in Tar Heel, N.C., that slaughterhouse disassembles about 32,000 hogs a day.

From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2022

Nulaxy's aluminum laptop stand does exactly that and easily disassembles when it's not needed.

From The Verge ● Nov. 22, 2021

Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins In her bold and strange novel, Watkins disassembles the mythology of the American west, paying particular attention to its brutal expansionism and unquestioned promise of personal reinvention.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 12, 2020

A small Detroit-area firm that disassembles new cars and analyzes them down to the nuts and bolts picked apart Tesla’s Model 3 sedans.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2018

The energy yield depends on the amount of uranium and the time it can be held together before it disassembles itself.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015

The German firm said it had disassembled the rocket to carry out investigations.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

She digitally "disassembled" the fossil one bone at a time and uncovered several anatomical features that differed from known Hesperosuchus specimens.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

"The Claw will be disassembled immediately after the event concludes," Joshua Fisher, Director for White House Management and Administration, said in the papers.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

“The Eaton Fire could not have occurred if SCE had simply disassembled and removed Structure M16T1,” the lawyers added.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

As a kid, Charlie had disassembled everything he could get his hands on—CD players, watches, our clothes dryer—but he’d never shown much interest in putting them back together.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

The company has not issued any official statement about disassembling its changing rooms.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

From all accounts, Israeli and American military strikes are meeting and even exceeding their goals of disassembling the regime’s infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026

There, Mark finds Gemma serenely disassembling the crib, and coaxes her to run with him.

From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2025

“There was never a waking moment when Ed wasn’t with his guitar. He worked day and night, disassembling and then refashioning his guitars to suit his sound, practicing endlessly. It was all he cared about.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2024

That’s why the idea of my mom disassembling her room like a traveling exhibit takes this echo of pain and turns it into something new and fresh.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Related Words

• dismantle