disconnect

[dis-kuh-nekt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR disconnect ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), dis·con·nect·ed, dis·con·nect·ing.

to sever or interrupt the connection of or between; detach: They disconnected the telephone. We were disconnected.

verb (used without object), dis·con·nect·ed, dis·con·nect·ing.

to sever or terminate a connection, as of a telephone; hang up: State your business and disconnect.

to withdraw into one's private world: When social pressures become too great, she simply disconnects.

noun

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

a lack of communication or agreement: There is a huge disconnect between management and employees.

Origin of disconnect

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

Related formsdis·con·nect·er, noundis·con·nec·tive, adjectivedis·con·nec·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for disconnect

disengage, detach, sever, sideline, divide, disassociate, separate, abstract, disjoin, dissociate, part, disunite, dissever, unfix

Examples from the Web for disconnect

Contemporary Examples of disconnect

There is a disconnect, which allows for some distance between his actions and your button presses.
I Felt Like Showering After the First-Person Sex in ‘Grand Theft Auto’
Alec Kubas-Meyer
November 22, 2014
The administration is preparing to let Iran 'disconnect' its nuclear centrifuges rather than actually dismantling them.
GOP Rejects Obama’s ‘Creative’ Iran Nuclear Compromises
Josh Rogin
September 20, 2014
The results also show a disconnect between the way suicides are reported in certain countries by internal organizations.
Every Country Has a Suicide Problem
Charlotte Lytton
September 5, 2014
When workers recently showed up to disconnect services, she blocked them.
Detroit Shuts Off Water to Residents but Not to Businesses Who Owe Millions
Mary M. Chapman
July 26, 2014
But, in a disconnect, only half support "stricter gun control laws."
Mom Gun-Control Group Fights the NRA With Its Own Weapon
Brandy Zadrozny
July 7, 2014

Historical Examples of disconnect

Disconnect from the starting switch the cable that goes to the battery.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
We disconnect the Subterro anti-bends kimonos and peel them off.
Operation Earthworm
Joe Archibald
If not, disconnect the ground wire and examine all connections.
Common Science
Carleton W. Washburne
Even without my coming, they had planned to disconnect from De Boer.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, October, 1930
Various
He tried to disconnect and isolate their words, but they all seemed to run together.
Despair's Last Journey
David Christie Murray

British Dictionary definitions for disconnect

disconnect

verb

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

noun

a lack of a connection; disconnectiona disconnect between political discourse and the public

Derived Formsdisconnecter, noundisconnection or disconnexion, noundisconnective, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for disconnect

1770; see dis- + connect. Perhaps a back-formation from disconnection. Related: Disconnected; disconnecting.