delaminate

IPA/dɪlˈamɪnˌeɪt/
IPA/dᵻlˈæmᵻnˌeɪt/

delaminate — verb

1. when a board, film, or other layered material delaminates, the joined parts star

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveC2
Definition

when a board, film, or other layered material delaminates, the joined parts start to come apart into separate sheets; heat, water, or impact can make this happen.

Example

After weeks of rain, the plywood steps delaminated near the back door.

material + delaminate

Heat from the oven delaminated the label on Mira's lunch box.

cause + delaminate + object

Common collocations
  • plywood delaminates
  • the panel delaminated
  • delaminate the label
  • delaminate along the edge
Synonyms
  • come apart

    everyday phrase that does not specifically suggest bonded layers

  • separate

    broader and less technical than delaminate

  • peel away

    often focuses on a top layer lifting from the surface

Antonyms
  • bond

    to join layers so they hold together

  • laminate

    to make or cover something with joined layers

Grammar Patterns

[material] + delaminates

[heat/water/impact] + delaminates + [material]

Usage Note

Usually used for bonded materials such as plywood, plastic film, or coated panels. It can describe the material itself coming apart or the force that makes the layers separate.

Common Mistakes

The old panel peeled into two layers.
The old panel delaminated into two layers.
use 'delaminate' when bonded layers come apart inside a material, not for ordinary surface peeling.

delaminate — noun

Word family

  • laminate
    verbC1
  • lamination
    nounC2
  • delamination
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For this sense, delaminate is more technical than separate, peel, or split. Separate is a broad verb for parts moving apart and does not tell you that the object is made of bonded layers. Peel often suggests a top surface lifting away, such as paint or paper, while delaminate can describe a deeper failure inside plywood, plastic film, or another layered material. Split usually means breaking into pieces or lines and does not focus on layers that had been fixed together. In a repair note, you might write that the panel delaminated after rain, not simply that it split.

separate ↗peel ↗split ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • badly delaminated

Phrases

  • show signs of delamination

Prepositions

  • delamination in
  • delaminate along

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Delaminate is built from the English prefix de-, often used for undoing or taking apart, and laminate, a word for something made in layers. The family goes back to Latin lamina, meaning a thin plate or layer. In modern English, delaminate developed mainly in technical contexts to describe layered materials coming apart, and delamination later named that kind of damage.