verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To break something down into its component parts. figuratively, often, transitive
2. 2
   interpret (a text or an artwork) by the method of deconstructing wordnet
3. 3
   To analyse in terms of deconstruction (a philosophical theory of textual criticism). transitive
4. 4
   To analyse in general. transitive
5. 5
   To critique. transitive

Show 2 more definitions

6. 6
   To prepare (a dish) in an experimental way that presents the core ingredients separately. transitive
7. 7
   To destroy. US, especially, transitive

Example

More examples

"If you deconstruct my salad, I will deconstruct you."

Etymology

From de- + construct.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.