dismantle
Americanverb (used with object)
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dismantles,
present (3rd person singular)
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dismantled,
past participle, past
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dismantling
present participle
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to deprive or strip of apparatus, furniture, equipment, defenses, etc..
to dismantle a ship; to dismantle a fortress.
-
to disassemble or pull down; take apart.
They dismantled the machine and shipped it in pieces.
-
to divest of dress, covering, etc..
The wind dismantled the trees of their leaves.
verb
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to take apart
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to demolish or raze
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to strip of covering
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dismantlesimple
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dismantlessimple
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have dismantledperfect
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has dismantledperfect
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am dismantlingprogressive
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are dismantlingprogressive
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is dismantlingprogressive
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have been dismantlingperfect progressive
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has been dismantlingperfect progressive
Past
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dismantledsimple
-
had dismantledperfect
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was dismantlingprogressive
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were dismantlingprogressive
-
had been dismantlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dismantle
From the Middle French word desmanteler, dating back to 1570–80. See dis- 1, mantle
Explanation
To take something apart or down is to dismantle it. If you dismantle a computer to see what it looks like inside, you better know how to put it back together, or you might be looking at the inside of your room for awhile. Dismantle is a verb used for both physical things and ideas. You can dismantle a campground by taking down the tents and breaking apart the fire logs, or you can dismantle a government by going against its leadership and bringing down its rule. Often when you dismantle something, you take away its ability to work, as with a nuclear warhead, but you can also take apart decorative or non-working things, as when you dismantle a science-fair display or a city made of blocks.
Vocabulary lists containing dismantle
The Alchemist
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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A Long Way Gone
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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.
See Examples For:
The misconduct investigation has put the institution under a glaring spotlight, intensified divisions inside it and played out alongside an unprecedented campaign to weaken, and in fact dismantle, the ICC in its entirety.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The prophecy states that they’ll acquire the powers of “Break” – to dismantle or undo something – and “Seal” to contain, reconstruct or suppress something.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
The executive order is part of the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle Mexican drug cartels that includes the Jalisco New Genertion Cartel and the Beltran Leyva Organization.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
It said they exploded "while preparations were underway" to dismantle them.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
He had not wanted Dedd to accom-pany me either, but she said she could not allow me to dismantle my house alone.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
“Collaboration recovers children sooner, links investigation, dismantles trafficking organizations and holds traffickers accountable. A trafficker should never escape accountability because critical information was sitting in another agency’s database.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Justice Elena Kagan’s majority opinion on Monday dismantles that theory piece by piece.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
The agreement requires the Lebanese state to take back control of its territory a little at a time as it disarms and dismantles the militant group.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
"This obviously completely dismantles Hugo Chavez’s oil model," said oil analyst Francisco Monaldi, while pointing out that the state will retain some discretion over the issuing of contracts to private players.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
He dismantles the machine, stares into its circuits, lets his fingers trace the journeys of electrons.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
The Israeli military said security forces dismantled two illegal outposts set up by settlers near the villages of Qusra and Jalud.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Israeli military said on Thursday it had sent forces to the area a second time, overnight, and dismantled two outposts, detaining one Israeli.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
But the garden was dismantled in 1760, only leaving its outline to be revealed in spells of particularly hot weather.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
According to Clark, who also authors the Capital Flows and Asset Markets blog, the financial architecture built during the Thatcher-Reagan revolution of the 1980s is being dismantled.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Backstage, he vehemently complained about the camera and said he wanted it dismantled before he continued.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Zhu became known for his ardent anti-corruption drive, controversial dismantling of inefficient state-owned firms and integration of China with the global economy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Polizzi estimated that he’d spend more than $50,000 trying to get proper city approvals before dismantling the treehouse in 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
“So while AI is shifting the labor market, it is not dismantling it.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
For 58 seasons, through wars, impeachments and the corporate dismantling of the network news business around it, “60 Minutes” remained America’s highest-rated newsmagazine.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
For the past month, she has been dismantling her household piece by piece.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
