dispel
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to drive off in various directions; disperse; dissipate.
to dispel the dense fog.
- Antonyms:
- gather
-
to cause to vanish; alleviate.
to dispel her fears.
verb
Synonym Usage
See scatter.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dispelsimple
-
dispelssimple
-
have dispelledperfect
-
has dispelledperfect
-
am dispellingprogressive
-
are dispellingprogressive
-
is dispellingprogressive
-
have been dispellingperfect progressive
-
has been dispellingperfect progressive
Past
-
dispelledsimple
-
had dispelledperfect
-
was dispellingprogressive
-
were dispellingprogressive
-
had been dispellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dispel
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin dispellere “to drive asunder,” equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + pellere “to drive”
Explanation
To dispel is to get rid of something that's bothering or threatening you, regardless of whether that's warts, worries, or wild dogs. The nifty thing about dispel is that you can use it when talking about emotional problems (such as worries and fears) as well as physical ones (such as wild dogs). Note, however, that when dispel is used in reference to physical foes, it often has the added meaning of scattering your opponents in all directions. So, while you can dispel a pack of wild dogs, you should just chase off or drive away a lone wolf. Good luck with that, by the way.
Vocabulary lists containing dispel
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Innuendo leaves a lingering stink that’s harder to dispel.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Mr. Hargreaves’s account of the North African fighting does much to dispel the myths that surround Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the German tank commander and so-called Desert Fox.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Widow’s Bay’s founders damned themselves and all their descendants by burying their iniquity instead of living with it long enough to dispel it and learn from that mistake.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
As Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office tried to dispel misinformation about California’s ballot tabulation process, the statement also said, “For the record: we wish the votes were counted faster, too.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Finally, in a blatant attempt to dispel my foul mood they invited me to go see Three Pennies for Wishing across the river tomorrow evening.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
In the interview, Balotelli dispels a few of the myths that had built up around him...
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
Jarvis is moral and cognitively aware and dispels our anxieties that the technology could replace or even harm humans, said Chambliss, whose work explores the relationship between comics and culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
For trans people like me, having an accurate ID dispels the daily fear of being outed when asked to present identification.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2025
A newly published copy of his death certificate dispels much of the mystery: According to that document, Valenzuela’s underlying cause of death was possibly related to a liver disease and liver failure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2024
Medical science does not seal the earth, whose nether creatures seep out, hair by hair, disguised like the smoke that dispels them.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Even here, though, historians have noted that the Soviet Union’s near-simultaneous invasion of Manchuria—which dispelled Japan’s illusion that Moscow might stay neutral in the war—also had an impact on the emperor’s calculations.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
Well, thank you for speaking to me today and hopefully we've dispelled a few myths.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
But "lawmakers are not fooled", said Iteanu, as enthusiasm for AI has not dispelled public wariness about its potential consequences.
From Barron's ● Apr. 25, 2026
In a recent blog post, Yardeni characterizes the current worries as ”AI derangement,” a fear that eventually will be dispelled.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 1, 2026
It was an unpleasant image, to say the least, and she quickly dispelled it by concentrating on her surroundings.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Our findings show clear benefits in key areas of healthy ageing, while also dispelling some of the myths surrounding its use.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he recently held a 2-½-hour meeting with Khamenei, in a public message that appeared aimed at dispelling questions about whether the new leader is indeed alive and running the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
But, she said, the more time providers have to spend dispelling myths about Tylenol, the less time they have to discuss other important health issues.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
A 2024 study by Penn State researchers found that approximately one in eight adults enjoy intensely sour flavors, dispelling claims that extreme tartness is only favored by children.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2025
“You can kick both their tails for all I care, but do it somewhere else,” Jim said, dispelling any thought I might have had that he cared anything about me.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
