dismember
verb /dɪsˈmembə(r)/
/dɪsˈmembər/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they dismember | /dɪsˈmembə(r)/ /dɪsˈmembər/ |
| he / she / it dismembers | /dɪsˈmembəz/ /dɪsˈmembərz/ |
| past simple dismembered | /dɪsˈmembəd/ /dɪsˈmembərd/ |
| past participle dismembered | /dɪsˈmembəd/ /dɪsˈmembərd/ |
| -ing form dismembering | /dɪsˈmembərɪŋ/ /dɪsˈmembərɪŋ/ |
- dismember something to cut or tear the dead body of a person or an animal into pieces
- Police say the body had been dismembered.
- dismember something (formal) to divide a country, an organization, etc. into smaller parts
- The British railway network has gradually been dismembered.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French desmembrer, based on Latin dis- ‘apart’ + membrum ‘limb’.