demobilize
To stand down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status; to disband troops and return them to civilian life.
Demobilize refers specifically to the logistical process of transitioning soldiers, equipment, and industries from a wartime footing back to a peacetime footing.
Word relationships
- disband: Disband means to break up any organized group, whereas demobilize specifically refers to transitioning military forces back to civilian status.
- discharge: Discharge refers to releasing an individual soldier from service, while demobilize refers to the systematic standing down of entire units or the whole military.
- mobilize: Mobilize means to prepare and organize military forces for active service in war.
Commonly confused with
- demilitarize: Demobilize refers to standing down troops and returning them to civilian life; demilitarize refers to removing military forces and weapons from a specific geographic area.
Word family
- demobilization (noun): The process of standing down military forces.
Collocations
- demobilize troops
- demobilize the army
- fully demobilize
Example sentences
- "After the treaty was signed, the government began to demobilize the army, returning over a million soldiers to civilian employment." A historical analysis of post-war reconstruction.
- "It is easy to mobilize an army; it is far harder to demobilize one without causing economic chaos." A general discussing the challenges of ending a war.
Memory hook
Think of making soldiers 'immobile' for war by sending them home to their families where they can settle down. De-mobilize: Stop the military from being mobile.
When not to use
Do not use when simply firing an employee or disbanding a small civilian club. It is strictly for military forces or highly organized wartime resources.
Fun facts
- Following World War II, the United States demobilized over 8 million service members in a massive logistical operation known as Operation Magic Carpet.
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