disestablish
Americanverb (used with object)
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to deprive of the character of being established; cancel; abolish.
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to withdraw exclusive state recognition or support from (a church).
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disestablish
Explanation
To disestablish something is to take away its official status. If your school’s table tennis team isn’t any good, why not disestablish it and start a new one? To establish something is to found it or to set it up. To disestablish something is to do the opposite. This word is typically used in the context of national churches. When such a church is disestablished, it loses its official status. This word is notable for being part of one of the longest words in the English language: opposition to disestablishment is called antidisestablishmentarianism.
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.
Disestablish he may, but the other will be a complication that nothing but open robbery could deal with.
From Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. II by Downey, Edmund
Disestablish, dis-es-tab′lish, v.t. to take away what has been established or settled, esp. of the standing of church as established by law.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
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.
