disengage

[dis-en-geyj]

verb (used with object)

disengaged, disengaging 

1. to release from attachment or connection; loosen; unfasten.

   to disengage a clutch.

2. to free (oneself ) from an engagement, pledge, obligation, etc..

   He accepted the invitation, but was later forced to disengage himself.

3. Military.,  to break off action with (an enemy).

verb (used without object)

disengaged, disengaging 

1. to become disengaged; free oneself.

disengage

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈɡeɪdʒ /

verb

1. to release or become released from a connection, obligation, etc

   press the clutch to disengage the gears

2. military to withdraw (forces) from close action

3. fencing to move (one's blade) from one side of an opponent's blade to another in a circular motion to bring the blade into an open line of attack

Other Word Forms

• disengaged adjective
• disengagedness noun
• self-disengaging adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of disengage¹

1605–15; < Middle French desengager, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + engager to engage

Example Sentences

The immediate payoff that comes from disengaging from social media might feel like “coffee money” in the short term, but “good habits have compounding effects,” Segrera said.

Read more on MarketWatch

Specifically, Gallup has found that nearly three-quarters of disengaged employees will change jobs for a 20% bump in pay.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

An inquiry into the incident found a series of human errors, including a failure to disengage the ship's autopilot, was the root cause of the crash.

Read more on BBC

Patricia is both invested in and disengaged from her own mental health and her husband’s medical challenges.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"It just disengages somebody - one half of the couple - because they don't have any of the information," she says.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• back off 
• detach 
• disconnect 
• disentangle 
• dissociate 
• extricate 
• liberate 
• withdraw