detach
Americanverb (used with object)
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detaches,
present (3rd person singular)
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detached,
past participle, past
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detaching
present participle
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to unfasten and separate; disengage; disunite.
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Military. to send away (a regiment, ship, etc.) on a special mission.
verb
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to disengage and separate or remove, as by pulling; unfasten; disconnect
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military to separate (a small unit) from a larger, esp for a special assignment
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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detachabilitynoun
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detachernoun
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nondetachabilitynoun
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predetachverb (used with object)
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detachableadjective
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nondetachableadjective
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self-detachingadjective
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undetachableadjective
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detachablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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detachsimple
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detachessimple
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have detachedperfect
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has detachedperfect
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am detachingprogressive
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are detachingprogressive
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is detachingprogressive
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have been detachingperfect progressive
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has been detachingperfect progressive
Past
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detachedsimple
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had detachedperfect
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was detachingprogressive
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were detachingprogressive
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had been detachingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of detach
1470–80; < Middle French détacher, Old French destachier; see dis- 1, attach
Explanation
If you separate one thing from another, you are detaching it. As a newborn baby, you became familiar with this concept as soon as your umbilical cord was cut! You can use the word detach to talk about physically pulling two things apart. For example, when your shirt comes back from the dry cleaner missing a few buttons, it’s safe to assume they got detached during the cleaning process. This word is easy to remember when you consider its antonym attach. Once you have attached that election pin to your lapel, you better detach it when your candidate loses!
Vocabulary lists containing detach
de-
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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:
Marriott said they also found people would "emotionally detach themselves" from images once they discovered they had been generated by AI.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
But even if you detach Reddit entirely from the LLM conversation, it’s still a growing platform that users truly love, and one I believe leaders should pay more attention to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“As a referee — contrary to what many people might think — you detach yourself from many situations, from the noise, from the pressure,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The researchers observed that dying cells alter their shape, detach from nearby structures, and leave behind a residue they call "the footprint of death."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026
And only then can you say, ‘All right. I have experienced that emotion. I recognize that emotion. Now I need to detach from that emotion for a moment.’
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
Ter Kulve is set to lead the company behind Ben & Jerry’s and Breyers as it detaches from consumer-goods giant Unilever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
As each fragment detaches, it can open "slab windows" where hot mantle material rises toward the surface, creating bursts of volcanic activity.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2025
From the surface displacements, the researchers could glean clues to what was happening 1000 meters below, near the so-called grounding line—the spot where the frozen behemoth detaches from bedrock.
From Science Magazine ● May 19, 2024
As the soil dries, the thistle dies and detaches from the root.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
Michelangelo gently detaches himself from Jeanne's embrace and kneels down to stroke Gwenforte's head.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
When the model includes a grounding zone measuring 4 to 6 kilometers across, it predicts a 60% probability that Thwaites will become detached from Mouginot Ridge by the end of the century.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
Brock seemed to draw a line around her time with the Cowboys cheerleaders, regarding it almost as a lark, detached from her more serious career in education.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
It’s good that “investors are questioning this in real time before you reach those peak euphoria moments where things get completely detached from reality in fundamentals,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Within the LAPD, some have also criticized McDonnell for taking a detached approach to running the department and ceding control to underlings, such as Assistant Chief Dominic Choi.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
He entered Pris’s former apartment, unplugged the TV set, and detached the antenna.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Visual effects company Weta created the effect of Vecna’s head detaching from his body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Dr. Kiat explains that feathers grow over two to three weeks before detaching from the blood supply and becoming nonliving material.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2026
President Nawrocki said he could see Europe "detaching" itself from the United States and said this was good neither for the economic security nor thge military security of the European Union.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026
Weiss is of the opinion that CBS is on the cusp of unlocking a new golden age of journalism, and that this is achievable only by detaching the network from party lines.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2026
There, detaching from the kitchen door like a wraith, stands the Commandant.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
