Synonyms

disband

American

[dis-band] / dɪsˈbænd /

verb (used with object)

to break up or dissolve (an organization).

They disbanded the corporation.

verb (used without object)

to disperse.

disband British

/ dɪsˈbænd /

verb

to cease to function or cause to stop functioning, as a unit, group, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

disbandment noun
undisbanded adjective

Etymology

Origin of disband

1585–95; < Middle French desbander, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + -bander, derivative of bande troop, band ¹

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.

Rather than disband the Vermont Rainbow Coalition after the 1984 primary, they kept the group going, endorsing candidates in campaigns for the legislature and statewide office in each of the next three election cycles.

From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026

The SDF still controls the cities Kobani and Hasakah, where there are large Kurdish populations, and where the militia group could dig in rather than disband.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

It was the inner circle, a cabal I’d tried to disband for more than a decade.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026

The Pacific League, which will disband after this season when it combines with the Rio Hondo League, has two new head coaches in DoVall Boykins at Crescenta Valley and Jason Weatherall at Burroughs.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2025

“You’d be breaking the Bureau’s biggest oath. They could disband the entire Bureau for this. Amari, they’d throw you into Blackstone.”

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023