disconnect

[dis-kuh-nekt]

verb (used with object)

disconnected, disconnecting 

1. to sever or interrupt the connection of or between; detach.

   They disconnected the telephone. We were disconnected.

verb (used without object)

disconnected, disconnecting 

1. to sever or terminate a connection, as of a telephone; hang up.

   State your business and disconnect.

2. to withdraw into one's private world.

   When social pressures become too great, she simply disconnects.

noun

1. an act or instance of disconnecting, especially the suspension of telephone or cable TV service for nonpayment of service charges.

2. a lack of communication or agreement.

   There is a huge disconnect between management and employees.

disconnect

/ ˌdɪskəˈnɛkt /

verb

1. (tr) to undo or break the connection of or between (something, such as a plug and a socket)

noun

1. a lack of a connection; disconnection

   a disconnect between political discourse and the public

Other Word Forms

• disconnection noun
• disconnective adjective
• disconnecter noun
• disconnectiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disconnect¹

First recorded in 1760–70; dis- ¹ + connect

Example Sentences

"It certainly has been exploding in Cape Town, particularly. People are lost and disconnected. Everybody's looking for a pill to fix everything, and there simply isn't a pill to fix everything".

Read more on BBC

When doing so, she says it's important to remember the "liking gap" - the negative disconnect between how we think others perceive us and their actual opinion.

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Analysts have cited a few reasons for the disconnect.

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“There’s a disconnect between the real world in terms of what things cost nationwide and average inflation,” Milan noted.

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Many felt a disconnect between those rosy stats and their own experiences.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cut off 
• detach 
• disengage 
• sever