1. (v. t.) To separate into integrant parts; to reduce to fragments or to powder; to break up, or cause to fall to pieces, as a rock, by blows of a hammer, frost, rain, and other mechanical or atmospheric influences.

2. (v. i.) To decompose into integrant parts; as, chalk rapidly disintegrates.

ablate abrade atomize beat bite the dust blow to pieces blow up brain bray break break down break open break to pieces break up brecciate bring down burn to death burst canker carry away cave in cleave collapse come apart come off come to dust come undone come unstuck comminute conk out consume contriturate corrode corrupt crack crack up crumb crumble crumble into dust crumble to dust crush cut down cut to pieces deactivate deal a deathblow debrief decay decline decompose degenerate deliquesce demob demobilize demolish descend detach disassemble disband discharge disimprove disjoin dismantle dismiss disorganize disperse dissipate dissolve dissolve into chaos droop drop effloresce erode fade fail faint fall fall into decay fall off fall to dust fall to pieces fell fester fission fissure fizzle out flag flour fly apart fracture frag fragment gangrene get loose give away give out give the quietus give way go bad go downhill go separate ways go soft go to pieces grain granulate granulize grate grind grind to powder gun down hit the skids incinerate jugulate languish lapidate lay low let go levigate make mincemeat of mash mildew mill mold molder mortify moulder muster out necrose part part company peel off peg out pestle peter out pick to pieces pine pistol poleax poop out pound powder pull in pieces pull to pieces pulverize putrefy putresce rankle reduce to powder reduce to rubble release rend retrograde riddle rot rupture scatter scrunch separate shard shatter shoot shoot down shoot to death shotgun shred silence sink slacken smash snap sphacelate split split up spoil spring a leak spring apart squash stab to death start stone stone to death strike dead sunder suppurate taint take apart tear apart tear to pieces tear to shreds tear to tatters topple total triturate tumble turn unbuild undo unmake unravel untune vaporize waste away weaken wear away wear thin wilt worsen wrack up wreck yield