disembark

American  

[dis-em-bahrk] / ˌdɪs ɛmˈbɑrk /

verb (used without object)

• disembarks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• disembarked,
  past participle,  past
• disembarking
  present participle

1. to go ashore from a ship.

2. to leave an aircraft or other vehicle.

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verb (used with object)

• disembarks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• disembarked,
  past participle,  past
• disembarking
  present participle

1. to remove or unload (cargo or passengers) from a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle.

disembark British  

/ ˌdɪsɪmˈbɑːk, dɪsˌɛmbɑːˈkeɪʃən /

verb

1. to land or cause to land from a ship, aircraft, etc

   several passengers disembarked

   we will disembark the passengers

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• disembarkation
  noun
• disembarkment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• disembarking
  present
• disembarked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• disembark
  simple
• disembarks
  simple
• have disembarked
  perfect
• has disembarked
  perfect
• am disembarking
  progressive
• are disembarking
  progressive
• is disembarking
  progressive
• have been disembarking
  perfect progressive
• has been disembarking
  perfect progressive

Past

• disembarked
  simple
• had disembarked
  perfect
• was disembarking
  progressive
• were disembarking
  progressive
• had been disembarking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will disembark
  simple
• will have disembarked
  perfect
• will be disembarking
  progressive
• will have been disembarking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of disembark

1575–85; < Middle French desembarquer, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + embarquer to embark

Explanation

Use the verb disembark to describe leaving a ship, airplane or other type of vehicle, like making sure you haven't left anything in the plane's overhead compartment before you disembark. Embark means "putting passengers in a plane or on a boat." Disembark is its opposite. When you disembark, you leave a ship or a plane, like when you can't wait to disembark at the port in order to go sight-seeing. When you disembark, there is a transition — you walk down a gangplank to go from water to land or down a special corridor to get from the runway to the airport terminal — unlike when you get out of a car. That's why you wouldn't use disembark for getting out of a car.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disembark disembarks disembarked disembarking

"It is sometimes hard to convince them to disembark and get screened," said Cecile Kisangu, a nurse.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Metrolink spokeswoman Sabrina Davis said the 1858 train experienced mechanical issues around 4:30 p.m. and came to a stop between the Anaheim Canyon and Corona stations, where it was not safe to disembark.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

Thirty people, including the deceased passenger, disembark in St. Helena.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

A cruise ship with a fatal hantavirus outbreak is set to head toward Spain’s Canary Islands, where health officials plan to inspect the vessel and the passengers before allowing anyone to disembark.

From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026

As exhausted, hungry families disembark from the trains, I silence the why of my complicity.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

She disembarks in an unfamiliar city with no idea where to go.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

The train then pulls into a station, and the man disembarks and flees down the platform.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025

The one-hour Seattle-Bremerton Washington State Ferry disembarks passengers and autos in downtown Bremerton.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

Now, there is a Secret Service agent positioned at the bottom of the stairs when he disembarks.

From New York Times ● Feb. 10, 2024

Dennis Rodman travels to North Korea as an unofficial ambassador on a mission of peace but is taken into custody the moment he disembarks from the plane.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

He then re-boarded the legacy Air Force One and disembarked from this plane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Some 400 years ago, a six-legged invader disembarked on the coast of Spanish Florida and began making its way across North America.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

BA said the plane landed safely and passengers disembarked normally.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Erdogan even personally met Trump at the airport -- with the 72-year-old on several occasions holding the US leader under the arm after he disembarked his new Air Force One plane.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

Then from their benches forward on dry ground they disembarked.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

He was then seen disembarking Air Force One in the UK, before boarding his newer, Qatari-gifted jet and returning to the US.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The fire broke out on Sunday morning as passengers were eating breakfast, survivor Muhammad Abdul Karim told reporters in Surabaya after disembarking from a rescue vessel.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

Because the carriage had partially rolled in a remote location, passengers faced a jump down when disembarking and had to wait in a nearby field, she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Passengers wearing blue medical suits began disembarking the Dutch-flagged vessel onto smaller boats to reach the port of Granadilla on Tenerife, AFP journalists saw.

From Barron's ● May 10, 2026

When they finally got the shell onto the dock, the boys trooped back onto the Manhattan, their serge coats soggy and their straw hats starting to droop, and waited for the formal disembarking.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• alight
• dismount