Use disassemble when the parts remain recognizable and could often be inspected, repaired, moved, or put back together.
Use disassemble when the parts remain recognizable and could often be inspected, repaired, moved, or put back together.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He disassembles the bike yesterday. | He disassembled the bike yesterday. |
| She will disassembled the laptop tomorrow. | She will disassemble the laptop tomorrow. |
| The vase fell and disassembled on the floor. | The vase fell and shattered on the floor. |
| The team disassembled the furniture by burning it. | The team destroyed the furniture by burning it. |
Use disassemble for machine code becoming assembly language, and use decompile when the target is higher-level source-like code.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The analyst disassembled the Python source file. | The analyst reviewed the Python source file. |
| The tool decompiled the binary into assembly instructions. | The tool disassembled the binary into assembly instructions. |
| I will disassemble the program to fix the runtime error. | I will debug the program to fix the runtime error. |
| The firmware was disassembled into C code. | The firmware was decompiled into C-like code. |
Use disassemble this way only in historical or deliberately old-fashioned prose, since modern English normally uses disperse or scatter.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The police disassembled the protesters downtown. | The police dispersed the protesters downtown. |
| The audience disassembled after the film ended. | The audience left after the film ended. |
| Please disassemble from the lobby. | Please clear out from the lobby. |
| The meeting was disassembled at noon. | The meeting was adjourned at noon. |
Use disassemble for objects and machinery, for binary code turned into assembly language, and only rarely for crowds or meetings in an old-fashioned sense.
Disassemble does not mean destroy, debug, or decompile to high-level source code, and the crowd sense is archaic in ordinary modern English.
From dis- meaning apart or away plus assemble. The earliest sense was to disperse a gathering, and the now-common take-apart sense developed later.
What does disassemble mean?
Disassemble means to take something apart into separate pieces, especially for repair, inspection, transport, or study.
Can disassemble be intransitive?
Yes. Something can disassemble if it comes apart into pieces, as in the frame disassembles for storage.
What does disassemble mean in computing?
In computing, disassemble means to translate machine code or object code into assembly-language instructions.
Is disassemble the same as decompile?
No. Disassemble produces assembly language, while decompile aims for higher-level source-like code.
What is the opposite of disassemble?
The usual opposite is assemble. Other opposites include build, construct, and put together.
Can disassemble mean scatter a crowd?
Yes, but that use is archaic or historical. Modern English usually says disperse or scatter.
Is disassemble a regular verb?
Yes. The past tense and past participle are disassembled, and the present participle is disassembling.
What is the difference between disassemble and dismantle?
Disassemble often suggests separating parts that may be inspected or reassembled. Dismantle can suggest removing a structure or taking it out of service.