disunite

1 part; cease or break association with; "She disassociated herself from the organization when she found out the identity of the president" [syn: disassociate, dissociate, divorce, disjoint]

2 force, take, or pull apart; "He separated the fighting children"; "Moses parted the Red Sea" [syn: separate, divide, part]

English

Verb

1. To cause disagreement or alienation among or within.
   • 1516, Sir Thomas More, Utopia, "Of Their Military Discipline,"

     If they cannot disunite them by domestic broils, then they engage their neighbours against them.

   • 1863, Charles Reade, Hard Cash, ch. 44,

     Secrets disunite a family.

2. To separate, sever, or split.
   • 1899, Robert Barr, Jennie Baxter, Journalist, ch. 16,

     I have discovered how to disunite that force and that particle.

3. To disintegrate; to come apart.
   • 1843, Robert Browning, A Blot In The 'Scutcheon, Act I,

     You cannot bind me more to you, my lord.

     Farewell till we renew... I trust, renew

     A converse ne'er to disunite again.

Related terms

• disunity

abrupt, aggravate, alien, alienate, cast off, cast out, come between, cut adrift, cut off, cut out, delete, depart, dichotomize, disaffect, disarticulate, disconnect, disengage, disjoin, disjoint, dissever, dissociate, disunify, divide, divorce, eject, estrange, expel, fan the flame, irritate, isolate, leave, light the fuse, make trouble, part, pit against, provoke, pull away, pull back, pull out, segregate, separate, sequester, set against, set apart, set aside, set at odds, set at variance, set on, shut off, sic on, sow dissension, split, stand aloof, stand apart, stand aside, step aside, stir up trouble, subtract, sunder, throw off, throw out, uncouple, unyoke, wean, withdraw