Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To release from something that holds fast, connects, or entangles. See Synonyms at extricate.
- v. To release (oneself) from an engagement, pledge, or obligation.
- v. To free or detach oneself; withdraw.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To set free or release from pledge or engagement; release from promise, engagement, or vow.
- To release or set free from union, attachment, or connection; detach; loosen or unfasten, and set free; release: as, to disengage a metal from its gangue, or a garment from a clinging bramble; to disengage the mind from study.
- In fencing, to carry or pass the point of (the weapon) from one side to the other over or under the adversary's, when the previous relative position or engagement of the blades is to the opponent's advantage. The movement is executed by describing with the point of the weapon a very small circle. Rolando (ed. Forsyth).
- To withdraw; become separated.
Wiktionary
- n. fencing A circular movement of the blade that avoids the opponent's parry
- v. To release or loosen from something that binds, holds, entangles, or interlocks; unfasten; detach; disentangle; free.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To release from that with which anything is engaged, engrossed, involved, or entangled; to extricate; to detach; to set free; to liberate; to clear
- v. To release one's self; to become detached; to free one's self.
WordNet 3.0
- v. release from something that holds fast, connects, or entangles
- v. free or remove obstruction from
- v. become free
Examples
“And then he thought it was best that at that time, he started to, what they call disengage the autopilot and control the rate of descent on his own.”
“It causes many of us concerned citizens to want to disengage from the process.”
Cafferty: Are you interested in Palin's views on health care reform?
“In an era of candidates who must explain that they are not witches, I worry that it is too easy to disengage from the process.”
“O'Donnell didn't actually disengage from the national media, she just upped her engagement with Sean Hannity, who lives in her "back pocket.”
The Huffington Post: Jack Shafer: Politicians' Media Dodge May Be A Good Thing
“Additionally, when Christine O'Donnell vowed to disengage from the national media in order to have more time appealing to Delaware voters and making her case to local outlets -- I have to admit I thought that was pretty smart.”
The Huffington Post: Jack Shafer: Politicians' Media Dodge May Be A Good Thing
“This causes problems because it becomes so overwhelming that I just disengage from the situation, and think my own thoughts.”
“Holder already has shown a willingness to disengage from the Bush-Cheney regime's reckless overreaching, as in the case of the trumped-up espionage prosecution of two former employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.”
Will Attorney General Holder Appeal HSPD-12 Decision? - NASA Watch
“But suppose that he were on the throne at the time of an election where he opted for a pro-EU Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition that sought further integration into the EU as against a Eurosceptic minority Conservative one which sought to disengage from the EU.”
“Yes, lets force all the people who genuinely disagree with all the parties and disengage from the process to vote, but let those who are afraid the sky fairy will strike them down for doing so get out of it.”
“Yes, lets force all the people who genuinely disagree with all the parties and disengage from the process to vote ..”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘disengage’.
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Artistic words
Good for poetry, or just artistic on their own.
fluxus, gallant, kinetic, lurk, disengage, mist, agleam, voyeur, devoid, crimson, ebony, azure and 94 more...
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Undo
A list of terms that denote separating one thing from another, or deconstructing a thing into its parts or to a former state. E.g., untie, divorce, unscramble.
untie, divorce, unscramble, disunite, disjoin, undo, separate, disassemble, uncouple, unhitch, disassociate, disaffiliate and 185 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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Misc. Words.
Words I like to use, words I like but may forget.
corrosion, astonish, solace, ferment, continuum, kinesthetic, permeate, repose, caprice, cardinal, discourse, surrender and 610 more...
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SAT
abandon,extreme e..., abash,to humiliate, abate,to lessen, abbreviate,to sho..., abridge, abdicate,to forma..., aberration,depart..., abnormality, abet,to encourage, abhor,to hate, abide,to follow o..., abject,utterly ho... and 2228 more...
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SAT
abandon,extreme e..., dispensing of all..., abash,to humiliate, abate,to lessen, abbreviate,to sho..., abridge, abdicate,to forma..., aberration,depart..., abnormality, abet,to encourage, abhor,to hate, abide,to follow o... and 2229 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
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DisenDat
disengage, disenfranchise, disentangle, disenchant, disenable, disenroll, disentitle, disendow, disentail, disencumber, disentwine, disentrance and 23 more...
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SAT
abandon,extreme e..., dispensing of all..., abash,to humiliate, abate,to lessen, abbreviate,to sho..., abridge, abdicate,to forma..., aberration,depart..., abnormality, abet,to encourage, abhor,to hate, abide,to follow o... and 2229 more...
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rajanibachchewar
detour, peculiar, replete, censure, criticize, malaise, cradle, rockers, procerity, demented, Goddard, disengage and 20 more...
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Cold Steel
A list of fencing terms, by no means comprehensive.
epee, foil, sabre, buckler, shield, rapier, dagger, hilt, tang, fleche, sabreur, parry and 26 more...
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descriptors - verbs & adverbs
simper, grind, apropos, grumble, cower, cringe, recoil, imbue, implored, juxtaposes, demoralize, eviscerate and 8 more...
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Ending the Incomplete
abort, slink, fizzle, discontinue, terminate, remove, pull the plug, disconnect, disengage, separate
Tweets
Looking for tweets for disengage.
ruzuzu "To release or set free from union, attachment, or connection; detach; loosen or unfasten, and set free; release: as, to disengage a metal from its gangue, or a garment from a clinging bramble; to disengage the mind from study."
-- CD&C Feb 22, 2013
chained_bear Noun: in fencing, the act of disengaging or reversing the relative position of the blades, so as to free one's own for a thrust. A deceptive maneuver intended to change the line of engagement. Feb 6, 2007