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:
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
“Especially when people are laid off, the first thing many do is roll over,” said Christopher Bahnsen, an adviser in Arvada, Colo. “Emotionally, these people want to detach from that employer.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
While he admits it will be practically impossible to completely detach himself from soccer, he said there are important things to accomplish off the field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 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
For a while I could almost detach myself from the place and its history and take pleasure in it purely as an archaeological site.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
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
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
The crew of the good rover detaches the pop-tent from the breached rover and reattaches it to theirs.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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
"Come on, Frankie," the man said to one of his friends in the group, and a short, scrunty fellow detached himself and came into the bar with us.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
It is thought to be the result of peat bogs detaching from the bottom of the lake and floating to the surface.
From BBC ● Sep. 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
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
And with that, the stranger realized that he was being drawn, like it or not, into the conversation and, reluctantly, he stepped out of the shadows, detaching from them like a patch of darkness.
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
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.
