disintegrate

American  

[dis-in-tuh-greyt] / dɪsˈɪn təˌgreɪt /

verb (used without object)

disintegrated, disintegrating

1. to separate into parts or lose intactness or solidness; break up; deteriorate.

   The old book is gradually disintegrating with age.

2. Physics.

   1. to decay.

   2. (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)

disintegrated, disintegrating

1. to reduce to particles, fragments, or parts; break up or destroy the cohesion of.

   Rocks are disintegrated by frost and rain.

disintegrate British  

/ dɪsˈɪntɪˌɡreɪt /

verb

1. to break or be broken into fragments or constituent parts; shatter

2. to lose or cause to lose cohesion or unity

3. (intr) to lose judgment or control; deteriorate

4. physics

   1. to induce or undergo nuclear fission, as by bombardment with fast particles

   2. another word for decay

---

Related Words

See decay.

Other Word Forms

• disintegrable adjective
• disintegration noun
• disintegrative adjective
• disintegrator noun
• disintegratory adjective
• nondisintegrating adjective

Etymology

Origin of disintegrate

First recorded in 1790–1800; dis- ¹ + integrate

Explanation

Soak your tooth in a cup of soda for long enough and it will disintegrate, or break apart from decay. The word disintegrate comes from a combination of the prefix dis- meaning "do the opposite of" and the Latin integrare meaning "to make whole." When something disintegrates, it does the opposite of become whole; it falls apart. Objects can either disintegrate over time — like a tooth soaking in a cup of soda, or instantaneously — like a building disintegrating into dust from an explosion.

Example Sentences

The skins contain natural oils, and garments not kept in a temperature-controlled environment -- ideally off-season in cold vaults -- can dry out and disintegrate.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Jolly has been carrying out tests on the banks of the River Yare to see how quickly the plastic-free wipes disintegrate.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

This kind of "odd" solid can even disintegrate on its own.

From Science Daily • Oct. 21, 2025

Were you to cook Swiss chard fully intact, without separating the stems and leaves, the leaf would disintegrate by the time the stems were tender.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025

Theodor, in a series of elegant experiments, has shown that when two individuals of the same species are placed in close contact, the smaller of the two will always begin to disintegrate.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• break down
• break up
• come apart
• crumble
• decay
• decompose
• degenerate
• descend
• disband
• dismantle
• rot
• sever
• shatter
• sink
• splinter
• wash out
• wither