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I know some words like unclothe and disrobe but these verbs refer to taking clothes off, I'm looking for a more accurate verb antonym of the verb equip, meaning taking weapons off.

More Context

In a video game, imagine you equip your agent with firearms and send him/her for a duel, after fight finished, her/his weapon may run out of bullets and will be automatically ______.
I need to inform the gamer that his/her agent is ______ and needs to be equipped again before any other gamer attacks you.

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    If you are talking about weapons, the verb disarm is often used to mean "remove weapons from [someone else]." If the person is taking off his or her own weapon, you might say "removing [one's] knife/pistol/whatever and putting it down [somewhere]."
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 6:52
  • @SvenYargs the Remove verb causes doubt that is it removed entirely from inventories (needs to buy it again) or only unequipped (only needs to equip it again after the weapon cooled down)
    – Reyraa
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 6:57
  • I'll note that a more specific word than equip for referring specifically to equipping a weapon would be wield. So an antonym for wield might be a suitable answer to this question as well.
    – Dan Henderson
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 17:48
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    @SomethingDark Thank you all for your kind help. I've added more details about the situation. Hope it clears the right answer
    – Reyraa
    Commented Jan 8, 2016 at 5:48
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    You can't make such a radical edit like that. It practically invalidates SomethingDark's answer. Now your question contains the word "unequipped", any visitor who sees that question and then reads the top (and accepted) answer is going to ask themself, why did that user repeat the same word used in OP. A similar edit should have been done much earlier on, because it gives CONTEXT and helps users provide the answer you need. Please replace the term unequipped with a blank space e.g. ....run out of bullets and will be automatically _______. I need to...
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Jan 8, 2016 at 7:46

9 Answers 9

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Video games usually say unequip.

unequip (v) - 1. To remove equipment. 2. (video games) In role-playing video games, to deactivate an item being carried by a player.

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    @alihaghighatkhah - it definitely works as a verb as well, I just can't find a good source other than "I'm a native English speaker."
    – SomethingDark
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 6:23
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    +1. No dictionary hits for unequip, but it would be recognised by the majority of native English speakers, especially gamers of any kind.
    – AndyT
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 9:06
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    In a gaming context I always simply used "remove". It clearly makes sense for items that would be equipped by being worn, and worked well enough for weapons that might be in different places (in hand, on back, in holster, etc.) depending on state of use too.
    – R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 19:49
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    Aren't we supposed to downvote made-up words? Why is this both the most popular and the accepted answer?
    – talrnu
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 22:25
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    This normally applies to the person, not the equipment. A typical usage such as 'Bob was unequipped for the trip as he lacked a life jacket' does not mean someone put Bob in the cupboard.
    – Pete Kirkham
    Commented Jan 8, 2016 at 12:44
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Disarm

verb (used with object)

to deprive of a weapon or weapons.

verb (used without object)

to lay down one's weapons.

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    Note that disarm can and often will be used to mean removing the equipment from someone else. "She disarmed him."
    – SuperBiasedMan
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 11:43
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    Based on OP's description of "taking weapons off" I think that Disarm is the most appropriate. Before entering through the security checkpoint, the Hitman disarmed himself.
    – MonkeyZeus
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 18:03
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If the weapon currently being equipped is being returned to a holder that the individual is wearing, then depending on the weapon type we have a few choices:

  • If it's a firearm you would holster it.
  • If it's a blade, then you'd sheathe it.

If you're putting it into a more general storage location, such as a backpack, then you could be said to stow it.

If you're simply dropping it to the ground, well, I'd say drop is as good a word as any.

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    Holster and sheathe would be the opposite of 'draw', not equip. You would need to have the weapon equipped to do any of those things.
    – DCShannon
    Commented Jan 8, 2016 at 0:17
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Consider, unarm

To divest of armor or arms; disarm.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition

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Although rare, 'disequip' is a good transitive and intransitive verb with the meaning you intend:

diseˈquip, v.
rare.
trans. To divest (any one) of his equipment; intr. (for refl.) to doff one's equipment.
1831 F. A. Kemble Jrnl. in Rec. Girlhood (1878) III. 23 [He] arrived just as we had disequipped.

["diseˈquip, v.". OED Online. December 2015. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/54283?rskey=BNKRlP&result=1&isAdvanced=false (accessed January 07, 2016).]

This verb is admirably suited for a 'disrarity' upon frequent use by gamers.

Some 'Dis'ambiguation and Other Notes in Response to OP Edits, Etc.

I used 'dis'ambiguation rather than 'un'ambiguation in the heading because I'm, most precisely, taking the ambiguity away rather than negating it. That's the difference between 'dis-' and 'un-'.

  1. If by "more accurate" you mean 'more commonly used in a given context', then 'disequip' might not the word for you; in the language of gamers, 'unequip' is by far the most commonly used word for the sense you describe, at least for the time being.

  2. If by "more accurate" you mean 'better suited to and more expressive of the concept intended', then 'disequip' might be the most accurate word to use, or perhaps 'deactivate', as shown next.

A commonly used verb, and accurate for the sense I understand you to intend, is 'deactivate':

trans. To render inactive ....

(op. cit.)

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    I'd argue that 'good' and 'rare' here are not totally compatible.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 9:33
  • Which is the more correct form: unequip as @somethingdark said or disequip as you said?
    – Reyraa
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 20:45
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    @alihaghighatkhah As a native english speaker, I unequip relatively frequently. I have never heard disequip. I would use unequip.
    – S. Buda
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 21:58
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    @JEL It's generally a good idea to use an "inept contrived" word over an existing apt word when it's far more commonly used and understood. Just because disequip technically exists and dis- is technically a better suited prefix doesn't mean you should use it, because that's now how language works. Disequip gives 1 600 hits on google, unequip gives 376 000. Seems like disequip will be a pretty ostentatious choice in this case.
    – Tobberoth
    Commented Jan 8, 2016 at 7:40
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    @JEL Meaning and language is exactly a "democracy" as you aptly put it. This is why there are exceptions in languages. As much as linguists love to put clear rules and perfectly define meanings, it's completely unrealistic because languages evolve with no concern of their efforts. If everyone today decided that "duck" from now on means "fish", that's what it will mean, etymology be damned. Take the word "awful" which used to mean "full of awe" in a positive sense, are you going to claim people who use awful in a negative sense are using the wrong word? Of course not.
    – Tobberoth
    Commented Jan 8, 2016 at 12:00
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Strip works too. You can strip someone of a thing.

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If there was an antonym, it would be "strip"

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  • This looks more like a comment than an answer unless you elaborate.
    – fev
    Commented Nov 13, 2021 at 10:32
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    It also looks very much like Lightness Races in Orbit's 2016 answer.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Nov 13, 2021 at 11:40
  • @EdwinAshworth Yes, it is and I don't know how I missed that. Any and all credit goes to Lightness Races in Orbit.
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Commented Nov 15, 2021 at 20:53
  • @fev Sorry but this instance really is that simple. What research on "equip" and "strip" makes you doubt they're antonymous?
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Commented Nov 15, 2021 at 20:57
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Pillaged, looted, stripped. There could be degrees of lack.

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  • Welcome to EL&U. Your answer was flagged for its length and content. It is not encouraged to post an answer without any research/reference/link that can support it. Please edit your answer after taking the tour and visiting our help center for additional guidance.
    – user140086
    Commented Jan 8, 2016 at 7:16
  • Please don't give multiple options without giving a way for the asker to discern between them.
    – Matt E. Эллен
    Commented Jan 13, 2016 at 9:44
-3

I don't think it's a real word, but "dequip" comes to mind...

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  • This is an unhelpful answer. There are two reasons. 1. The answer states that dequip might not be a commonly understood word. 2. The answer doesn't explain anything about how to use the word. Given 1. that makes 2. very important. 1. is bad because the answer should address the question for people who don't know the answer and this answer implies that the word shouldn't be used, because dequip might not be a word people know, while also implying that the word should be used because it is posted as an answer.
    – Matt E. Эллен
    Commented Jan 14, 2016 at 12:21

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