Dictionary

disband en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /dɪsˈbænd/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Attested since the 1590s, from Middle French desbander (Modern French débander), from des- (English dis-) + bande (English band), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to tie”). By surface analysis, dis- + band.

Meanings

1. (ambitransitive) To break up or (cause to) cease to exist; to disperse.
   • I used to be in a punk band, but we disbanded in the early 1980s.
   • The president wanted to disband the scandal-plagued agency.
   • The British Transport Commission, which was disbanded under the 1962 Transport Act that created the British Railways Board, had been established by Clement Attlee's Labour government at nationalisation 14 years earlier. 2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 53:
   • Having taken a review of his Army at Ardachan, he disbanded his Army, and he himself continu'd his Journey to Erzirum 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
2. (obsolete, transitive) To loose the bands of; to set free.
3. (obsolete, transitive) To divorce.
   • And therefore […] she ought to be disbanded. 1643, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: […], London: […] T[homas] P[aine] and M[atthew] S[immons] […], →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

undisbanded · disbandable · disbander

Relateds

disbandment

Translations (32)

ru распуска́ть (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · da nedlægge (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · pt debandar (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · es desbandar (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · pl rozwiązać (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · ru расформирова́ть (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · ru распусти́ть (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · fr démanteler (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · bg разпуска́м (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · pl rozwiązywać (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · nl ontbinden (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · fr dissoudre (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · es desmantelar (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · ar سَرَّحَ (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · gl disolver (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · ar حَلَّ (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · fr décommissionner (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · ga scaoil (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · de auflösen (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · fi lakkauttaa (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · no avskaffe (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · es disolver (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · ja 解散する (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · bg разформировам (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · ru расформиро́вывать (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · cs rozpustit (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · cmn 解散 (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · sv upplösa (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · da afskaffe (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · fa منحل کردن (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · hu feloszlat (to break up or cause to cease to exist) · pt dispersar (to break up or cause to cease to exist)