disintegrate
[dis-in-tuh-greyt]
- to separate into parts or lose intactness or solidness; break up; deteriorate: The old book is gradually disintegrating with age.
- Physics.
- to decay.
- (of a nucleus) to change into one or more different nuclei after being bombarded by high-energy particles, as alpha particles or gamma rays.
Show More
- to reduce to particles, fragments, or parts; break up or destroy the cohesion of: Rocks are disintegrated by frost and rain.
Show More
Origin of disintegrate
Synonym study
1, 3. See decay.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
sinkdecomposedisbanddecaydismantlesplintershattercrumblewitherdegeneraterotseverdescenddeliquescepulverizedisconnectdividedeclineworsenatomizeExamples from the Web for disintegrate
Contemporary Examples
At this point Marvin gives his Liberty Valance smile, the kind that makes you wish you could disintegrate in front of him.
If life has left Mandela, does this mean we will disintegrate, too?
All of our hard work began to disintegrate in an instant, based on a decision the Marines and I had no input on whatsoever.
Do we have a plan B if the Afghan Army starts to disintegrate?
It is a fantasy, and it was very important to me to show that disintegrate, and show what the actual transaction looked like.
‘Mad Men’: Matthew Weiner and Christina Hendricks Dissect 5 Scenes From ‘The Other Woman’Jace Lacob
August 8, 2012
Historical Examples
That is the point at which families innumerable have begun to disintegrate.
The Wedding RingT. De Witt Talmage
They didn't just disintegrate when peace broke out, that was for sure.
The Cosmic ComputerHenry Beam Piper
When I die my cherished soul will disintegrate into nothing.
Fantazius MallareBen Hecht
Cal wondered whether the orders to disintegrate had been a bluff.
Eight Keys to EdenMark Irvin Clifton
About the time a man begins to vote, he begins to disintegrate.
Penguin Persons & PeppermintsWalter Prichard Eaton
disintegrate
- to break or be broken into fragments or constituent parts; shatter
- to lose or cause to lose cohesion or unity
- (intr) to lose judgment or control; deteriorate
- physics
- to induce or undergo nuclear fission, as by bombardment with fast particles
- another word for decay (def. 3)
Show More
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
Word Origin and History for disintegrate
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper