verb

disarm

to disarm

The police officer disarmed the suspect.

The police officer disarmed the suspect.

Her friendly smile was enough to disarm him.

Her friendly smile was enough to disarm him.

They agreed to disarm their nuclear weapons.

They agreed to disarm their nuclear weapons.

((sb.)) to take a weapon away from (sb.). The police officer disarmed the suspect.

((sb.)) to make (sb.) feel less angry or critical. Her friendly smile was enough to disarm him.

Synonyms: demilitarize, neutralize, charm; Antonyms: arm, equip

From the prefix 'dis-' (away, apart) and 'arm' (weapon). It literally means 'to take arms away'.

Imagine taking the 'arms' (weapons) away from someone. The prefix 'dis-' often means 'remove'.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.