Definition of "dissociate" [dis•so•ci•ate]

• To remove from association; separate: "Marx never dissociated man from his social environment” ( Sidney Hook). (verb-transitive)
• Chemistry To cause to undergo dissociation. (verb-transitive)
• To cease associating; part. (verb-intransitive)
• Biology To mutate or change morphologically, often reversibly. (verb-intransitive)
• Chemistry To undergo dissociation. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "There are also a percentage of people who have to dissociate from the realities of what they are doing to survive."
• "I finished the book dissatisfied because there were too many questions left unanswered, I had to completely dissociate from the movie to grade it on it's own merit."
• "In addition, because of past traumatic experiences, many of these people have acquired an ability to dissociate, that is, to cut off their feelings and bodily sensations, including feelings of physical pain."