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
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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:
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
Innuendo leaves a lingering stink that’s harder to dispel.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Even the picturesque beaches and striking sunsets couldn’t dispel the tension among the members of Earth, Wind & Fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
At least Bigwig’s preparations would keep the others busy and perhaps do something to dispel the silent fear that filled all the warren.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Mr. Newman also dispels the belief that great ideas are entirely new.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
The report also dispels a common view that guns are mainly owned by rural residents.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2025
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
In their first video call, which Farsi, then in Cairo, recorded with a separate smartphone, Hassona’s beaming face immediately dispels any notion that all Palestinians must exist in a defeated state amid relentless bombing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
This dispels her first embarrassment, and the two begin to talk.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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 75-year-old farmer's eyes filled with tears as he walked through his orchard in the village of Vosketap, where a breeze from snowcapped Mount Ararat, across the border in Turkey, dispelled the summer heat.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
But we know that’s just an illusion, one that is dispelled by looking inside the machine.
From Slate ● May 25, 2026
By now, she has almost dispelled the effect of her father’s visitation yesterday.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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
“One of the biggest roles that these community networks can play is in spreading accurate information and dispelling misinformation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2025
Menon's sessions involved meditation, sharpening players' mental approach and dispelling the negative thoughts that can come with top-flight pressure and scrutiny.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2024
Holmes had assigned me several days in a row to R-and-W gallery, dispelling any thought I had entertained that he was starting to like me.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
