detach

verb

Simple meaning

To take apart from.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

dihtach

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

dɪˈtætʃ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

transitive
To take apart from; to take off.
Come to be detached
“His retina detached and he had to be rushed into surgery.”
Separate (a small unit) from a larger, especially for a special assignment
transitivemilitary
To separate for a special object or use.
intransitive
To come off something.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency: Uncommon
Typical Use: Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To take apart from; to take off.

Used this way, detach is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use detach

“His retina detached and he had to be rushed into surgery.”verb
“Detach the skin from the chicken before you eat it.”verb

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

detachedadjectiveInflected form
Used of buildings.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

detachmentnounDerived noun
Avoiding emotional involvement.
detachableadjectiveDerived adjective
Designed to be unfastened or disconnected without damage.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

detached housenounCompound term
A house that stands alone.
detached retinanounCompound term
Visual impairment resulting from the retina becoming separated from the choroid in the back of the eye.
semi-detached housenounCompound term
A dwelling that is attached to something on only one side.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.