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:
Two additional ice islands, with estimated areas of about 97 and 87 sq km, could eventually detach as existing rifts continue spreading across the floating ice tongue.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 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
But it’s also possible that AI products that mimic human conversation will detach us from engaging with the thoughts and feelings of other people around us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Dragon effectively functions as a lifeboat - attached to the station but ready to detach the moment the order is given.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
They managed to detach an inflatable lifeboat before their ship sank, and were crawling into it when the Germans returned.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
By losing control, they exposed how fragile authorship becomes once ownership detaches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
This idea describes how hot, dense rock gradually detaches from the base of tectonic plates after continents split, behaving somewhat like blobs rising and falling in a lava lamp.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 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
One of the pale shapes detaches from the others and swims toward her, but my shadow in the water makes it hesitate.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
They didn’t locate any weapons, but they did find a pair of detached pistol magazines.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Other Nebraskans said they felt a bit detached from the entire war issue.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
If the victim isn’t convinced, try describing a similar fraud instead and let the victim see the red flags from a more detached perspective.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
"There's an intestine detached from the rest of the body, surrounded by tendrils of blood vessels from the yolk."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
Everything about the last few hours felt unreal, and instead of blinding panic, I felt oddly numb and detached.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
After detaching from the rocket's center core, the two boosters returned safely to the launch site, where they can be refurbished.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 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
Investigators have said the accident was caused by one of the engines catching fire and detaching during takeoff.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025
They administered a sedative before carefully detaching him and applying a tight bandage to the wound.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2025
When I move my fingers, they wriggle and I momentarily envision them detaching and crawling away.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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.
