dispel
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dispels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dispelled,
past participle, past
-
dispelling
present participle
-
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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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:
The boots-on-the-ground approach has helped the health department dispel misinformation and build trust with the community, local health officials said.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
No amount of wealth can dispel retirement worries.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Wright, who traveled to Venezuela to oversee the signing of a series of energy deals worth billions of dollars, sought to dispel criticism in comments made to AFP and other outlets at Caracas airport.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
It’s a feeling no cloud can fully dispel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
It hung in the air for a long moment, a dark cloud over our heads, a curse nothing could dispel.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
In the interview, Balotelli dispels a few of the myths that had built up around him...
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
What Thompson-Hernández’s art so easily dispels, no matter the genre it finds a home in, are all the knotty, misguided and trite representations of otherness in our contemporary world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026
A guru is one who dispels illusions, and there is perhaps no illusion so insistent, or potentially more harmful to the individual, than the illusion that he will live forever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
As with most holiday-related rituals, digging into the history of the yule log as a TV tradition dispels some of its mystical wonder, revealing its origin in desperate necessity.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
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
That dispelled some fears about whether its AI investments would actually show returns.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Through her media prominence and prolific output as an author, with a dozen books to her name, Steinem dispelled the stereotype of the humorless feminist simply by living.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026
Any doubt about the identity of the unnamed malefactor was dispelled in the first footnote to the statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The European Commission had also raised questions over whether the legislation complied with EU law, but Lefevre's office said those concerns had been "dispelled" and the measure was not expected to be blocked.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
The figure of Phineas was set against the bulk of the tree; he shouted now and then, but these sounds too were quickly absorbed and dispelled.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
By many accounts, Mallorca has succeeded in dispelling hard-partiers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
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
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
Mr. Wickham’s society was of material service in dispelling the gloom which the late perverse occurrences had thrown on many of the Longbourn family.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
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.
