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disintegrate
[dis-in-tuh-greyt]
verb (used without object)
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.
verb (used with object)
to reduce to particles, fragments, or parts; break up or destroy the cohesion of.
Rocks are disintegrated by frost and rain.
disintegrate
/ dɪsˈɪntɪˌɡreɪt /
verb
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
Other Word Forms
- disintegrable adjective
- disintegrative adjective
- disintegratory adjective
- disintegrator noun
- nondisintegrating adjective
- disintegration noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of disintegrate1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Newberry’s five-and-dime store, she worked for a month and a half to pay it off in installments, wearing it for years until it all but disintegrated.
A police chief has said there is no imminent danger that the tower will disintegrate.
Their response proved that they would rather watch New York disintegrate than allow people who are struggling economically to get even a modicum of relief.
When these shelves thin or disintegrate, that stabilizing effect disappears, allowing land ice to move more quickly into the ocean and raise global sea levels.
This kind of "odd" solid can even disintegrate on its own.
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