disintegrate
verb
dis·in·te·grate
| \ (ˌ)dis-ˈin-tə-ˌgrāt
\
\
disintegrated;
disintegrating;
disintegrates
Definition of disintegrate
1
: to break or decompose into constituent elements, parts, or small particles
water disintegrates the limestone
2
: to destroy the unity or integrity (see integrity sense 3) of
The lies disintegrated their marriage.
1
: to break or separate into constituent elements or parts
The iron hinges were disintegrateing into dust.
2
: to lose unity or integrity by or as if by breaking into parts
The relationship started to disintegrate.
3
: to undergo a change in composition (see composition sense 2)
an atomic nucleus that disintegrates because of radioactivity
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Other Words from disintegrate
disintegrative
\ (ˌ)dis-ˈin-tə-ˌgrā-tiv
\
adjective
\
adjective
disintegrator
\ (ˌ)dis-ˈin-tə-ˌgrā-tər
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of disintegrate in a Sentence
The paper will disintegrate if it gets wet.
The laser can disintegrate most kinds of rock.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rather than skirt around the intricate emotions of a disintegrating relationship, Dickhut leans in to them, making the song better for it. — Britt Julious, chicagotribune.com, "Burr Oak presents a raw, unfiltered look at the creative spark of Savanna Dickhut," 1 Aug. 2019 The third season of Stranger Things brought us many things: a nostalgic trip back to '80s mall culture, Steve in a sailor suit, gross disintegrating rats, a heartbreaking (possible) loss, and some most excellent hair. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "All the Hidden Messages in the Hairstyles on Stranger Things," 20 July 2019 If a single trip to Ikea can end a disintegrating relationship, imagine how much damage an ocean-crossing trip to an isolated Swedish village could do. — Sonia Rao, Washington Post, "The horrifying ‘Midsommar’ is a breakup movie, according to director Ari Aster," 11 July 2019 Much as Hereditary was really a kitchen-sink family drama blended with an occult-horror film, Midsommar takes the mundane misery of a disintegrating relationship and renders it as a Technicolor thriller. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Ari Aster’s Midsommar Is a Sun-Drenched Horror Triumph," 2 July 2019 Needing illumination is that many slave owners, cognizant of their disintegrating economic prospects, were forced nearly at gunpoint by Union armies to free their slaves even after the 13th Amendment. — Marcus Harrison Green, The Seattle Times, "Juneteenth in Seattle brings jubilation and reflection on justice not yet realized," 21 June 2019 At the same time, any pretense of Trump’s respecting the independence of the Justice Department has disintegrated. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "The Rule of Law Is Crumbling Further Each Day Under Trump," 10 June 2018 But that system, where the local branch manager made key lending and banking decisions, began disintegrating before the internet came along, during the 1970s and 80s. — John Detrixhe, Quartz, "Scotland is on the front line in the fight against “cash deserts”," 31 May 2019 Yet over the course of the work, doubt creeps into the ritual, both musically and textually, and the structure of the Mass completely falls apart and disintegrates as the celebrant comes to terms with his own crumbling faith and moral emptiness. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Leonard Bernstein gave American music so much more than West Side Story.," 25 Aug. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disintegrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for disintegrate
disintegrate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of disintegrate
: to break apart into many small parts or pieces
See the full definition for disintegrate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
disintegrate
verb
dis·in·te·grate
| \ dis-ˈin-tə-ˌgrāt
\
\
disintegrated;
disintegrating
Kids Definition of disintegrate
: to separate or break up into small parts or pieces
disintegrate
verb
dis·in·te·grate
| \ (ˈ)dis-ˈint-ə-ˌgrāt
\
\
disintegrated;
disintegrating
Medical Definition of disintegrate
: to break or decompose into constituent elements, parts, or small particles
1
: to break or separate into constituent elements or parts
2
: to undergo a change in composition
an atomic nucleus that disintegrates because of radioactivity
Other Words from disintegrate
disintegration
\ (ˌ)dis-ˌint-ə-ˈgrā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
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