disengage
Americanverb (used with object)
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disengages,
present (3rd person singular)
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disengaged,
past participle, past
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disengaging
present participle
-
to release from attachment or connection; loosen; unfasten.
to disengage a clutch.
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to free (oneself ) from an engagement, pledge, obligation, etc..
He accepted the invitation, but was later forced to disengage himself.
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Military. to break off action with (an enemy).
verb (used without object)
-
disengages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disengaged,
past participle, past
-
disengaging
present participle
verb
-
to release or become released from a connection, obligation, etc
press the clutch to disengage the gears
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military to withdraw (forces) from close action
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disengagesimple
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disengagessimple
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have disengagedperfect
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has disengagedperfect
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am disengagingprogressive
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are disengagingprogressive
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is disengagingprogressive
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have been disengagingperfect progressive
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has been disengagingperfect progressive
Past
-
disengagedsimple
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had disengagedperfect
-
was disengagingprogressive
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were disengagingprogressive
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had been disengagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disengage
1605–15; < Middle French desengager, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + engager to engage
Explanation
To disengage means to "free or disentangle" yourself or some object from another person or object. No, it doesn't mean breaking off your engagement to your beloved — that's "chickening out." Does your mind wander when someone (your fiancé, for example) talks to you? Well, your mind can disengage as well, that is, stop paying attention. Disengage has quite a formal, intellectual ring to it, even if used about a situation as physical as two armies "disengaging from combat." It's a technical term, and faintly clinical; the kind of word frequently used by politicians and diplomats.
Vocabulary lists containing disengage
"The Lottery," Vocabulary from the short story
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"Of Mice and Men"
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A Doll's House
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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:
The Ethiopian authorities' 2019 report suggested the pilots followed steps to disengage the system, but even after manually trying to steady the plane, the system pushed the nose down until the aircraft crashed.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
"If the strategy is not just to disengage from China, but it's to disengage more globally -- which I don't think it is, by the way -- I don't think it's sustainable," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
More often, patients simply disengage and drop out of therapy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The officer can then disengage from the pursuit while still tracking the suspect.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
She made no response whatever to the clasp of his arm; she did not even try to disengage herself.
From "1984" by George Orwell
"Sometimes, especially if it's fast-paced, she disengages and she doesn't want to play because she doesn't understand what she needs to do."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
But Five Point-backed companies’ handling of increasingly scarce resources somewhat disengages each of them from commodity price fluctuations, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
If a pitcher disengages a third time and doesn’t record an out, a balk is called and all runners advance one base.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
If a pitcher disengages a third time for a pickoff attempt, the runner advances one base if the attempt fails.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2022
As Maysilee Donner bravely disengages herself and heads for the stage, I catch a glimpse of my mother at my age, and no one has exaggerated her beauty.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Mayra Goulart, political science professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told AFP the main challenge for Lula and Flavio will be to reach "disengaged voters" who are highly likely to abstain.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Authorities said they had “tactically disengaged while continuing to monitor the situation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
I disengaged this autopilot by saying “Generate the document,” then continued to write and edit myself, as usual.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
It’s remarkable — and discouraging — how many people are disengaged from their own financial lives.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
Waiting for an opportune moment of parental distraction, she calmly disengaged herself and followed the sign.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
Europe, the official said, finds itself alone because the Americans are disengaging with the region, meaning it must rely more on itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025
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.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2025
“But I don’t believe that disengaging is the answer.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2024
It also said "that a large section of the population is disengaging from or avoiding news altogether".
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2024
By the time the other kids caught up with her, the locks were already disengaging.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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.
