dis|in|fect|ant /d I s I nfe ktənt/ (disinfectants ) N‑VAR Disinfectant is a substance that kills germs. It is used, for example, for cleaning kitchens and bathrooms.
dis|in|fla|tion /d I s I nfle I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Disinflation is a reduction in the rate of inflation, especially as a result of government policies.
dis|in|for|ma|tion /d I s I nfə r me I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT If you accuse someone of spreading disinformation , you are accusing them of spreading false information in order to deceive people. □ They spread disinformation in order to discredit politicians.
dis|in|genu|ous /d I s I ndʒe njuəs/ ADJ Someone who is disingenuous is slightly dishonest and insincere in what they say. [FORMAL ] □ It would be disingenuous to claim that this is great art. ● dis|in|genu|ous|ly ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] □ He disingenuously remarked that he knew nothing about strategy.
dis|in|her|it /d I s I nhe r I t/ (disinherits , disinheriting , disinherited ) VERB If you disinherit someone such as your son or daughter, you arrange that they will not become the owner of your money and property after your death, usually because they have done something that you do not approve of. □ [V n] He threatened to disinherit her if she refused to obey.
dis|in|te|grate /d I s I nt I gre I t/ (disintegrates , disintegrating , disintegrated )
1 VERB If something disintegrates , it becomes seriously weakened, and is divided or destroyed. □ [V ] During October 1918 the Austro-Hungarian Empire began to disintegrate. ● dis|in|te|gra|tion /d I s I nt I gre I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia.
2 VERB If an object or substance disintegrates , it breaks into many small pieces or parts and is destroyed. □ [V ] At 420mph the windscreen disintegrated. ● dis|in|te|gra|tion N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the catastrophic disintegration of the aircraft after the explosion.
dis|in|ter /d I s I ntɜː r / (disinters , disinterring , disinterred )
1 VERB [usu passive] When a dead body is disinterred , it is dug up from out of the ground. □ [be V -ed] The bones were disinterred and moved to a burial site.
2 VERB If you disinter something, you start using it again after it has not been used for a long time. [HUMOROUS ] □ [V n] …the trend for disinterring sixties soul classics for TV commercials.
dis|in|ter|est /d I s I ntrəst/ N‑UNCOUNT If there is disinterest in something, people are not interested in it. □ [+ in ] …disinterest in politics.
dis|in|ter|est|ed /d I s I ntrəst I d/
1 ADJ Someone who is disinterested is not involved in a particular situation or not likely to benefit from it and is therefore able to act in a fair and unselfish way. □ Scientists, of course, can be expected to be impartial and disinterested.
2 ADJ If you are disinterested in something, you are not interested in it. Some users of English believe that it is not correct to use disinterested with this meaning.
dis|joint|ed /d I sdʒɔ I nt I d/
1 ADJ Disjointed words, thoughts, or ideas are not presented in a smooth or logical way and are therefore difficult to understand. □ Sally was used to his disjointed, drunken ramblings.
2 ADJ Disjointed societies, systems, and activities are ones in which the different parts or elements are not as closely connected as they should be or as they used to be. □ …our increasingly fragmented and disjointed society.
disk /d I sk/ (disks ) also disc
1 N‑COUNT [oft on/to N ] In a computer, the disk is the part where information is stored. □ The program takes up 2.5 megabytes of disk space.
2 → see also disk drive , floppy disk , hard disk
di sk drive (disk drives ) in BRIT, also use disc drive N‑COUNT The disk drive on a computer is the part that contains the disk or into which a disk can be inserted. The disk drive allows you to read information from the disk and store information on the disk.
disk|ette /d I ske t/ (diskettes ) N‑COUNT A diskette is the same as a floppy disk .
di sk jock|ey → see disc jockey
dis|like /d I sla I k/ (dislikes , disliking , disliked )
1 VERB If you dislike someone or something, you consider them to be unpleasant and do not like them. □ [V n] We don't serve liver often because so many people dislike it. □ [V n] David began to dislike all his television heroes who smoked.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Dislike is the feeling that you do not like someone or something. □ [+ of ] He made no attempt to conceal his dislike of me. [Also + for ]
3 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Your dislikes are the things that you do not like. □ Consider what your likes and dislikes are about your job.
4 PHRASE If you take a dislike to someone or something, you decide that you do not like them.
dis|lo|cate /d I sləke I t/ (dislocates , dislocating , dislocated )
1 VERB If you dislocate a bone or joint in your body, or in someone else's body, it moves out of its proper position in relation to other bones, usually in an accident. □ [V n] Harrison dislocated a finger.
2 VERB To dislocate something such as a system, process, or way of life means to disturb it greatly or prevent it from continuing as normal. □ [V n] It would help to end illiteracy, but it would also dislocate a traditional way of life.