English

Alternative forms

• dematerialise

Verb

dematerialize ‎(third-person singular simple present dematerializes, present participle dematerializing, simple past and past participle dematerialized)

1. (intransitive) to disappear by becoming immaterial.
   • 2002, Piers Anthony, Ogre, Ogre, page 9

     Nightmares were, after all, a type of demon; they could dematerialize in much the way Fiant did.

2. (transitive) to cause something to disappear by becoming immaterial.
   • 2009, Etson White, Revelation of God, page 161

     Some magicians claim they can dematerialize their bodies and re-materialize them in a different location.

3. (transitive) to remove the physical materials from (a process, etc.)
   • 2013, Mike Friedrichsen, Wolfgang Mühl-Benninghaus, Handbook of Social Media Management

     Even though the book is still a difficult object to dematerialize and the paper books are not replaceable, the trend seems to be to prefer an e-book rather than a physical book […]

Synonyms

• (disappear): disappear, disintegrate, dissolve, vanish

Related terms

• dematerialization
• materialize

Translations