dismember

American  

[dis-mem-ber] / dɪsˈmɛm bər /

verb (used with object)

1. to deprive of limbs; divide limb from limb.

   The ogre dismembered his victims before he ate them.

2. to divide into parts; cut to pieces; mutilate.

3. to reduce, reorganize, or discontinue the services or parts of (a company, government agency, etc.).

   Our business was dismembered by the conglomerate that bought it.

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dismember British  

/ dɪsˈmɛmbə /

verb

1. to remove the limbs or members of

2. to cut to pieces

3. to divide or partition (something, such as an empire)

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Other Word Forms

• dismemberer noun
• dismemberment noun
• nondismemberment noun

Etymology

Origin of dismember

1250–1300; Middle English dismembren < Anglo-French, Old French desmembrer, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + -membrer, verbal derivative of membre member

Example Sentences

"The French do not expect from the Macron leadership that it dismembers our overseas territories behind their backs," she said, describing the territories as "true levers of power, influence and economic development".

From Barron's

“There he tinkered with dismembered clocks and toasters, and the pathos of dismantled gears, springs and wires infected him with a tenderness for mechanisms that spill their guts for all the world to see.”

From Los Angeles Times

Only, sometimes, these cadavers are not truly donated — and the dead person never consented to have their body dismembered.

From Salon

Now the dismembered statue has become a symbol of a city - and a nation - struggling to reckon with its darkest chapters.

From BBC

Unlike electrical work or cabinet construction, paint is statistically less likely to kill, injure or dismember you.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dismantle
• maim
• mutilate
• sever
• sunder