disengage
to release from attachment or connection; loosen; unfasten: to disengage a clutch.
to free (oneself) from an engagement, pledge, obligation, etc.: He accepted the invitation, but was later forced to disengage himself.
Military. to break off action with (an enemy).
to become disengaged; free oneself.
Origin of disengage
1Other words from disengage
- dis·en·gag·ed·ness [dis-en-gey-jid-nis, -geyjd-], /ˌdɪs ɛnˈgeɪ dʒɪd nɪs, -ˈgeɪdʒd-/, noun
- self-dis·en·gag·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use disengage in a sentence
Engage when he’s kind, disengage completely when he uses or defends cruelty.
Carolyn Hax: How to tell Dad that you want to dispense with the unpleasantries | Carolyn Hax | November 6, 2020 | Washington PostWilkie has faced criticism for appearing disengaged from the VA’s critical programs.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Headlines GOP Fundraiser as COVID-19 Cases Surge | by Isaac Arnsdorf | October 21, 2020 | ProPublicaNow they can help disengage the sympathetic nervous system, commonly known as fight-or-flight mode, and bring the body into a parasympathetic state, or rest-and-digest mode, Almeyda explains.
Pocket This Anti-Stress Routine for Difficult Days | Lauren Bedosky | October 20, 2020 | Outside Online“U.S. forces have already disengaged…they should go home,” Zai says.
Afghan Diplomat: The Security Agreement Will Be Signed | Jacob Siegel, Sami Yousafzai | January 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnyway Y has deliberately disengaged from the one source that might tell him differently.
Barack Obama is also far more aloof and disengaged than George W. Bush.
There can be no doubt that the divided, paranoid, disengaged Arab Americans Hussein Ibish describes do exist.
He sighed, had bad posture at the podium, and seemed generally disengaged.
Brett O’Donnell: What to Watch For in the Town-Hall Debate | Brett O’Donnell | October 16, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTHe rode easily, with a loose rein, and he waved his disengaged hand the instant he caught sight of the white faces.
The Red Year | Louis TracySome time since, by way of trying the power of the engine, we disengaged the balance-bob.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickAristide disengaged himself, waved his hand airily towards Perigueux, and smiled blandly.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. LockeShe took his offered arm with her disengaged hand, as an additional support; and her white face turned a shade whiter.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodThe man roared furiously, and gave a convulsive heave that almost upset myself and the big chair, and disengaged the key!
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands | R.M. Ballantyne
British Dictionary definitions for disengage
/ (ˌdɪsɪnˈɡeɪdʒ) /
to release or become released from a connection, obligation, etc: press the clutch to disengage the gears
military to withdraw (forces) from close action
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
Derived forms of disengage
- disengaged, 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
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