I. |dis+ verb
Etymology: French désengager, from Middle French desengager, from des- dis- (I) + engager to engage — more at engage
transitive verb
1. : to release from anything that engages, engrosses, involves, or entangles : free , liberate
2.
a. : to free from a pledge or obligation — now used only as a past participle
b. : to extricate from something that entangles
disengaging the rope from the gear
c. : to loosen or detach from something clung to
gently disengaged the baby fingers wrapped about his thumb
d. : to remove (troops) from combat
disengaged the first battalion
intransitive verb
1. : to release or detach oneself
2. : to shift one's blade from one side of an opponent's blade to the other in fencing
3. : to withdraw from combat
Synonyms: see detach
II. noun
( -s )
: the act of disengaging in fencing