disestablish
Americanverb (used with object)
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to deprive of the character of being established; cancel; abolish.
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to withdraw exclusive state recognition or support from (a church).
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disestablishsimple
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disestablishessimple
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have disestablishedperfect
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has disestablishedperfect
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am disestablishingprogressive
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are disestablishingprogressive
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is disestablishingprogressive
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have been disestablishingperfect progressive
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has been disestablishingperfect progressive
Past
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disestablishedsimple
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had disestablishedperfect
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was disestablishingprogressive
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were disestablishingprogressive
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had been disestablishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disestablish
Explanation
To disestablish something is to take away its official status. If your school’s table tennis team isn’t any good, why not disestablish it and start a new one? To establish something is to found it or to set it up. To disestablish something is to do the opposite. This word is typically used in the context of national churches. When such a church is disestablished, it loses its official status. This word is notable for being part of one of the longest words in the English language: opposition to disestablishment is called antidisestablishmentarianism.
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.
Parents were able to file the paperwork to establish the account when they did their 2025 income taxes.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
Overnight, the search teams were finally able to establish visual contact with Gil.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
“The market has yet to attract sufficient buying interest to establish that level as support,” analysts at Saxo Bank said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
The math bill calls for the State Board of Education to establish criteria for selecting assessments and then the education department would develop a recommended list of tests that meet those standards for schools.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
Then, in 1674, the Royal Society decided that it ought to establish an observatory to match the Observatoire de Paris, which had just been founded by the French Academy.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
