disband
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disbands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disbanded,
past participle, past
-
disbanding
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
disbands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disbanded,
past participle, past
-
disbanding
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disbandsimple
-
disbandssimple
-
have disbandedperfect
-
has disbandedperfect
-
am disbandingprogressive
-
are disbandingprogressive
-
is disbandingprogressive
-
have been disbandingperfect progressive
-
has been disbandingperfect progressive
Past
-
disbandedsimple
-
had disbandedperfect
-
was disbandingprogressive
-
were disbandingprogressive
-
had been disbandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disband
1585–95; < Middle French desbander, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + -bander, derivative of bande troop, band 1
Explanation
You know how rock bands are always forming and then breaking up? When they break up, they disband. The word disband refers to any group or unit of folks who decide to go their separate ways. Long before there were rock bands, groups of friends or warriors would band together for protection or companionship. They would become a band of sorts. The prefix dis comes from the Latin word for "apart." So if people come together to form a band — like Robin Hood's Merry Men — then if they disband, they decide to separate and break apart. Groups don't always disband because they want to. Sometimes police officers or government officials disband groups they believe are a nuisance or a threat.
Vocabulary lists containing disband
This Week in Words: August 13-18, 2017
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Nelson Mandela "I am Prepared to Die" (1964)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Last year the PKK announced plans to disband and disarm, following a call from its jailed founder and longtime leader Ocalan.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
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
Coveting the directorship as a way to build his own bureaucratic empire, Hoover concealed from Stone the extent of his role in domestic surveillance operations and promised to disband the intelligence division.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Such a rebuild may include the promotion of some of the club's best academy players, who stand to benefit if the first-team squad disbands.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Before the mayor disbands the SRG, I would urge him to check the facts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
It disbands a myriad of existing working groups and replaces them with a centralized system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
The announcement effectively disbands aspects of Twitter’s tool kits for penalizing accounts — from those of presidents to foreign trolls — that break the company’s rules against hate speech, bullying and spreading misinformation around elections.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 29, 2022
A last roll is given to the drum, and the army disbands.
From The Long Ago by J. W. (Jacob William) Wright
It wouldn’t target organizations that disbanded under dubious circumstances and seek new life under a new name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
In yet another sign that the company is tightening its focus on commercial AI applications, Google disbanded its AlphaFold research team in July.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
In 2024, the Royals were demoted from tier two to tier five after the club fell into financial difficulty, while the Addicks were disbanded entirely in 2007 after the men's team suffered relegation.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The group disbanded in 2010 and their debut album was never released.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Nita already told us that the experiments were in danger of being disbanded, so I am not surprised to hear it’s true.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Discovery is expected to close Tuesday, disbanding Warner’s corporate structure and retiring Warner investors at $31.17 a share.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
A judge ruled against his clients in one of two lawsuits he brought challenging Mamdani’s disbanding of a commission appointed by his mayoral predecessor to recommend changes to the city’s charter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
They warn that disbanding Healthwatch would be a "significant step back" in accountability.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
He announced the disbanding of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team.
From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2025
Chief Buthelezi called for the abolition of the Record of Understanding, the ending of CODESA, and the disbanding of Umkhonto we Sizwe.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
