Standard Lemma guide

disarm

noun · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪsˈɑː(ɹ)m/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /dɪsˈɑɹm/
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)m
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S AA1 R M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of depriving a person of a weapon they carry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To deprive of weapons; to deprive of the means of attack or defense; to render defenseless.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To deprive of the means or the disposition to harm; to render harmless or innocuous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • to disarm a man's wrath

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To lay down arms; to stand down.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To reduce one's own military forces.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To render into a state in which something is no longer armed, or prepared for use (such as to disable the security systems on).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

remove offensive capability from

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: demilitarize, demilitarise

Antonyms: arm

8

verb

Meaning 8

take away the weapons from; render harmless

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unarm

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: deprive, strip, divest

Narrower terms: demilitarize, demilitarise

9

verb

Meaning 9

make less hostile; win over

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Her charm disarmed the prosecution lawyer completely

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: convert, win over, convince

History

Etymology

From Middle English desarmen (“to divest of arms”), from Anglo-Norman desarmer.

Across languages

Translations

86 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: զինաթափել (zinatʻapʻel) — to deprive of arms
  • Asturian: desarmar — to deprive of arms
  • Belarusian: раззбро́йваць (razzbrójvacʹ) — to deprive of arms
  • Belarusian: раззбро́іць (razzbróicʹ) — to deprive of arms
  • Belarusian: абяззбро́йваць (abjazzbrójvacʹ) — to deprive of arms
  • Belarusian: абяззбро́іць (abjazzbróicʹ) — to deprive of arms
  • Bulgarian: обезоръжавам (obezorǎžavam) — to deprive of arms
  • Catalan: desarmar — to deprive of arms
  • Chinese Mandarin: 解除武裝 /解除武装 (jiěchú wǔzhuāng) — to deprive of arms
  • Czech: odzbrojit — to deprive of arms
  • Danish: afvæbne — to deprive of arms
  • Dutch: ontwapenen — to deprive of arms
  • Esperanto: malarmi — to deprive of arms
  • Finnish: riisua aseista — to deprive of arms
  • French: désarmer — to deprive of arms
  • Gallurese: disalmà — to deprive of arms
  • German: entwaffnen — to deprive of arms
  • Hungarian: lefegyverez — to deprive of arms
  • Icelandic: afvopna — to deprive of arms
  • Ido: desarmizar — to deprive of arms
  • Irish: dí-armáil — to deprive of arms
  • Italian: disarmare — to deprive of arms
  • Japanese: 武装解除する (busō kaijo suru) — to deprive of arms
  • Latin: exarmō — to deprive of arms
  • Latin: dēarmō — to deprive of arms
  • Latvian: atbruņot — to deprive of arms
  • Māori: tupe — to deprive of arms
  • Old English: bewǣpnian — to deprive of arms
  • Polish: rozbrajać — to deprive of arms
  • Polish: rozbroić — to deprive of arms
  • Portuguese: desarmar — to deprive of arms
  • Romanian: dezarma — to deprive of arms
  • Russian: разоружа́ть (razoružátʹ) — to deprive of arms
  • Russian: разоружи́ть (razoružítʹ) — to deprive of arms
  • Russian: обезору́живать (obezorúživatʹ) — to deprive of arms
  • Russian: обезору́жить (obezorúžitʹ) — to deprive of arms
  • Campidanese Sardinian: disarmai — to deprive of arms
  • Sassarese: disaimai — to deprive of arms
  • Scottish Gaelic: dì-armaich — to deprive of arms
  • Serbo-Croatian: разоружати — to deprive of arms
  • Serbo-Croatian: razoružati — to deprive of arms
  • Spanish: desarmar — to deprive of arms
  • Swedish: avväpna — to deprive of arms
  • Turkish: silahsızlanmak — to deprive of arms
  • Ukrainian: роззбро́ювати (rozzbrójuvaty) — to deprive of arms
  • Ukrainian: роззбро́їти (rozzbrójity) — to deprive of arms
  • Ukrainian: обеззбро́ювати (obezzbrójuvaty) — to deprive of arms
  • Ukrainian: обеззбро́їти (obezzbrójity) — to deprive of arms
  • Welsh: diarfogi — to deprive of arms
  • Czech: odzbrojit — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Danish: afvæbne — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Dutch: ontwapenen — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Finnish: tehdä vaarattomaksi — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Gallurese: disalmà — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • German: entwaffnen — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Italian: disarmare — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Māori: tupe — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Portuguese: desarmar — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Russian: обезвре́живать (obezvréživatʹ) — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Russian: обезвре́дить (obezvréditʹ) — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Campidanese Sardinian: disarmai — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Sassarese: disaimai — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Swedish: avväpna — to deprive of the means or the disposition to harm
  • Bulgarian: разоръжавам се (razorǎžavam se) — to lay down arms
  • Chinese Mandarin: 繳械 /缴械 (jiǎoxiè) — to lay down arms
  • Chinese Mandarin: 放下武器 (fàngxià wǔqì) — to lay down arms
  • Chinese Mandarin: 解除武裝 /解除武装 (jiěchú wǔzhuāng) — to lay down arms
  • Dutch: ontwapenen — to lay down arms
  • Finnish: laskea aseensa — to lay down arms
  • Japanese: 干戈を収める (kanka o osameru) — to lay down arms
  • Japanese: 武器を捨てる (buki o suteru) — to lay down arms
  • Russian: разоружа́ться (razoružátʹsja) — to lay down arms
  • Russian: разоружи́ться (razoružítʹsja) — to lay down arms
  • Russian: сложи́ть ору́жие (složítʹ orúžije) — to lay down arms
  • Bulgarian: разоръжавам се (razorǎžavam se) — to reduce the size of one's own military forces
  • Chinese Mandarin: 裁軍 /裁军 (cáijūn) — to reduce the size of one's own military forces
  • Finnish: vähentää asevoimia — to reduce the size of one's own military forces
  • Japanese: 軍備を縮小する (gunbi o shukushō suru) — to reduce the size of one's own military forces
  • Japanese: 軍縮する (gunshuku suru) — to reduce the size of one's own military forces
  • Russian: разоружа́ться (razoružátʹsja) — to reduce the size of one's own military forces
  • Russian: разоружи́ться (razoružítʹsja) — to reduce the size of one's own military forces
  • Swedish: nedrusta — to reduce the size of one's own military forces
  • Vietnamese: tài binh — to reduce the size of one's own military forces
  • Finnish: purkaa viritys — to render into a state in which something is no longer armed
  • Finnish: poistaa viritys — to render into a state in which something is no longer armed
  • Irish: dí-armáil — to render into a state in which something is no longer armed
Real reading context

disarm in complete knowledge articles