decommission

verb

de·​com·​mis·​sion ˌdē-kə-ˈmi-shən How to pronounce decommission (audio)
decommissioned; decommissioning; decommissions

transitive verb

: to remove (something, such as a ship or a nuclear power plant) from service

Examples of decommission in a Sentence

Several military bases are scheduled to be decommissioned. The government is decommissioning the nuclear power plant.
Recent Examples on the Web There are currently 16 LCS operating out of San Diego Bay, although two — USS Jackson and USS Montgomery — might be decommissioned in the next year or two. June 22, 2023 Kingsville was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, where a sister ship, the future USS Pierre, is under construction. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 The wellhead wasn't producing but wasn't decommissioned by Shell or its new owners, Aiteo Eastern E & P. Taiwo Adebayo, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024 The city of Chicago will not renew its contract to use the controversial gunshot detection system ShotSpotter and plans to decommission the technology later this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office announced Tuesday. USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024 Annora Nelson, a regional transportation engineer with the Forest Service, calculates that the agency has decommissioned close to 3,400 miles of road since 2016—a step in the right direction, albeit a small one. Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 Originally known as the Naval Training Center, the base was decommissioned in 1997 and the nonprofit NTC Foundation was established as the major leaseholder of the buildings. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2024 But in a better-case scenario—assuming that new plants open at an accelerated rate and authorities avoid decommissioning plants if possible—the IAEA predicted that the capacity could rise to 890 GW by 2050. IEEE Spectrum, 23 Jan. 2024 Environmentalists have proposed decommissioning Glen Canyon dam for decades to restore the health of the river and help conserve water. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Jan. 2024 That could put the final Starliner flight on the current contract in 2030, when NASA and its partners currently plan to decommission the International Space Station. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 15 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decommission.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of decommission was in 1922

Dictionary Entries Near decommission

Cite this Entry

“Decommission.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decommission. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

decommission

verb
de·​com·​mis·​sion ˌdē-kə-ˈmish-ən How to pronounce decommission (audio)
: to remove (as a ship) from use or service

More from Merriam-Webster on decommission

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