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:
Studies have shown Community Notes can work to dispel some falsehoods, like vaccine misinformation, but researchers have long cautioned that it works best for topics where there is broad consensus.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
But it carries a price tag which will make a lot of people roll their eyes, and doesn't do much to dispel criticism that increasingly-costly VR headsets are pricing people out of the hobby.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
No amount of wealth can dispel retirement worries.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Marshaling an encyclopedic body of evolutionary and anthropological evidence, Mr. Lieberman, a paleoanthropologist at Harvard University, aims to dispel the monolithic thinking that dominates our approach to diet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Piling my plate high, Angelina did nothing to dispel this impression.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
In the interview, Balotelli dispels a few of the myths that had built up around him...
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
Mr. Newman also dispels the belief that great ideas are entirely new.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 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
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
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
Well, thank you for speaking to me today and hopefully we've dispelled a few myths.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Livingstons results with the bigger magnet dispelled the clouds.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
