Definition of 'detach'

Word Frequency

detach

(dɪtætʃ )

Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense detaches , present participle detaching , past tense, past participle detached

1. verb

If you detach one thing from another that it is fixed to, you remove it. If one thing detaches from another, it becomes separated from it.

[formal]

Detach the white part of the application form and keep it. [VERB noun]

It is easy to detach the currants from the stems. [VERB noun + from]

There was an accident when the towrope detached from the car. [VERB + from]

[Also VERB]

Synonyms: separate, free, remove, divide More Synonyms of detach

2. verb

If you detach yourself from something, you become less involved in it or less concerned about it than you used to be.

It helps them detach themselves from their problems and become more objective. [V pron-refl + from]

3. verb

If you detach yourself from a person or place, you leave them.

[formal]

Alexis saw his father detach himself from the group and walk away down the hill by himself. [V pron-refl from n]

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Word Frequency

detach in British

(dɪˈtætʃ )

verb (transitive)

to disengage and separate or remove, as by pulling; unfasten; disconnect

2. military

to separate (a small unit) from a larger one, esp for a special assignment

Derived forms

detachable (deˈtachable)

adjective

detachability (deˌtachaˈbility)

noun

detacher (deˈtacher)

noun

Word origin of 'detach'

C17: from Old French destachier, from des- dis-1 + attachier to attach

Word Frequency

detach in American

(diˈtætʃ ; dɪˈtætʃ )

verb transitive

to unfasten or separate and remove; disconnect; disengage

to send (troops, ships, etc.) on a special mission

Derived forms

detachability (deˌtachaˈbility)

noun

detachable (deˈtachable)

adjective

Word origin of 'detach'

Fr détacher < OFr detachier, destachier < de-, de- + estachier, to attach

Example sentences containing 'detach'

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The detached house is still the dream. Times, Sunday Times (2016)The answer is detached homes in the suburbs. Times, Sunday Times (2016)We moved from our little terraced house to this big detached thing with two garages and a drive. Times, Sunday Times (2016)He then highlighted places where detached houses accounted for 70 % of the total sales. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Those same statistics also show that terrace builds have been declining and it is detached and semi-detached houses that are on the up. Times, Sunday Times (2016)The big detached houses a few streets inland on Victoria Road go for about a million. Times, Sunday Times (2016)While the average price for a detached home might be higher than the London average, you get more for your money. Times, Sunday Times (2016)The holes are still there but things do not detach neatly around them. Times, Sunday Times (2012)So look for a detached home without a stove or open fires. Times, Sunday Times (2010)It is one thing for detached scholars to set these high expectations. Larson, Reed & Richards, Maryse H. Divergent Realities: the Emotional Lives of Mothers, Fathers, and Adolescents (1994)