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.
They dissect her appeal to the many groups—from Surrealists and feminists to the LGBTQ+ community and the disabled—who since the 1930s have embraced her as one of their own.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
The kids took to TikTok and Instagram to dissect every awful thing Banks and the rest did in the name of goosing ratings, with many wondering why its audience barely blinked at its endless exploitation.
From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026
I had to dissect that because it was kind of unreal.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026
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
The only time I jumped was when I leaned my elbow on Buddy's cadaver's stomach to watch him dissect a lung.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
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.
