verb
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to cut open and examine the structure of (a dead animal or plant)
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(tr) to examine critically and minutely
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To cut apart or separate body tissues or organs, especially for anatomical study.
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In surgery, to separate different anatomical structures along natural lines by dividing the connective tissue framework.
Other Word Forms
- dissectible adjective
- dissection noun
- dissector noun
- redissect verb (used with object)
- self-dissecting adjective
Etymology
Origin of dissect
1600–10; < Latin dissectus (past participle of dissecāre to cut up), equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + sec- cut + -tus past participle suffix
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.
I spoke with a few coffee experts to dissect what “fibermaxxing” our coffee entails:
From Salon • Jan. 17, 2026
But Blumberg is eager to dissect his music-making process and brag about his collaborators.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025
Back at the pub, a huddle of players dissect where the tactical battles were won and lost, before the women's Tyne-Wear derby kicks off on the big screen.
From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025
"But if you physically dissect the animal, you lose information that can tell the full story."
From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025
Wondering why he even bothered to dissect its motives.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
