disarm

verb

dis·​arm dis-ˈärm 

diz-,

ˈdis-ˌärm

disarmed; disarming; disarms

transitive verb

1

a

: to deprive of means, reason, or disposition to be hostile

disarmed criticism by admitting her errors

b

: to win over

2

a

: to divest of arms

disarm captured troops

b

: to deprive of a means of attack or defense

disarm a ship

c

: to make harmless

disarm a bomb

intransitive verb

1

: to lay aside arms

2

: to give up or reduce armed forces

disarmament

ˌdis-ˈär-mə-mənt 

noun

disarmer noun

Synonyms

• demilitarize

Examples of disarm in a Sentence

The government has been unsuccessful at disarming the rebels.

The terrorists have refused to disarm.

It took more than an hour to disarm the bomb.

Recent Examples on the Web

But Matty’s whole brand is about disarming people with her fundamental existence. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024

Castillo’s sister grabbed Castillo by the hair, and multiple family members tackled him, pulling him off his wife, holding him down and disarming him. —Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2024

Whole ships and submarines packed with live munitions were scuttled in the rush to disarm the Germans. —Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Sep. 2024

Taylor-Johnson plays a British army bomb disposal officer called to disarm a WWII bomb discovered on a site in west London. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English desarmen, literally, to divest of arms, from Anglo-French desarmer, from des- dis- + armer to arm

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

disarm

verb

dis·​arm (ˈ)dis-ˈärm 

1

: to take weapons from

disarm a prisoner

2

: to reduce the size and strength of the armed forces of a country

3

: to make harmless, peaceable, or friendly : remove dislike or suspicion

a disarming smile

disarmament

-ˈär-mə-mənt 

noun