disembark
dis-im-BARK
/ˌdɪsɪmˈbɑːrk/
To leave an aircraft, ship, or train at the end of a journey.
Refers specifically to departing a passenger transport vehicle in an orderly fashion after arrival.
The story behind the word. Borrowed from French 'désembarquer', uniting 'dés-' (reversal) with 'embarquer' (to go aboard a bark or boat). It entered English in the late 16th century to describe soldiers stepping ashore from ships and moved into flight terminology in the 1920s.
Word relationships
- alight: 'Alight' is an archaic or formal term mostly used for trains and buses, whereas 'disembark' is standard for ships and planes.
- deplane: 'Deplane' applies strictly to airplanes, whereas 'disembark' applies broadly to ships, planes, and trains.
- embark: Embark means getting onto a vessel or plane to start a journey.
- board: Board means entering a transport vehicle.
Commonly confused with
- Depart: Depart means the plane itself leaving a location, while disembark means people stepping off the plane.
Word family
- disembarkation (noun): The process of exiting a vehicle or ship.
Collocations
- disembark passengers
- prepare to disembark
- disembark safely
- disembark at the gate
Example sentences
- "Passengers are asked to remain seated until the aircraft has come to a complete stop and the doors open to disembark." Arrival Announcement
- "The troops began to disembark from the transport ships under the watchful cover of naval gun batteries." Historical Narrative
Memory hook
DIS-EMBARK is the opposite of EMBARK: stepping OFF the ship or plane. DISEMBARK = Exit the bark/boat/plane.
When not to use
Do not use for getting out of small personal passenger cars.
Fun facts
- In international aviation law, a passenger is technically under airline legal custody until they fully disembark into the jetbridge.
Related words
Also appears in
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