dissolve
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make a solution of, as by mixing with a liquid; pass into solution.
to dissolve salt in water.
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to melt; liquefy.
to dissolve sugar into syrup.
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to undo (a tie or bond); break up (a connection, union, etc.).
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to break up (an assembly or organization); dismiss; disperse.
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Government. to order the termination of (a parliament or other legislative body).
- Synonyms:
- adjourn
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to bring to an end; terminate; destroy.
to dissolve one's hopes.
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to separate into parts or elements; disintegrate.
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to destroy the binding power or influence of.
to dissolve a spell.
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Law. to deprive of force; abrogate; annul.
to dissolve a marriage.
verb (used without object)
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to become dissolved, as in a solvent.
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to become melted or liquefied.
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to disintegrate, break up, or disperse.
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to lose force, intensity, or strength.
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to disappear gradually; fade away.
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to break down emotionally; lose one's composure.
The poor child dissolved in tears.
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Movies, Television. to fade out one shot or scene while simultaneously fading in the next, overlapping the two during the process.
noun
verb
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to go or cause to go into solution
salt dissolves in water
water dissolves sugar
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to become or cause to become liquid; melt
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to disintegrate or disperse
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to come or bring to an end
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to dismiss (a meeting, parliament, etc) or (of a meeting, etc) to be dismissed
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to collapse or cause to collapse emotionally
to dissolve into tears
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to lose or cause to lose distinctness or clarity
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(tr) to terminate legally, as a marriage, etc
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(intr) films television to fade out one scene and replace with another to make two scenes merge imperceptibly ( fast dissolve ) or slowly overlap ( slow dissolve ) over a period of about three or four seconds
noun
Synonym Usage
See melt 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dissolvabilitynoun
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dissolvablenessnoun
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dissolvernoun
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redissolveverb
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predissolveverb (used with object)
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dissolvableadjective
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nondissolvingadjective
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self-dissolvedadjective
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undissolvableadjective
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undissolvedadjective
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undissolvingadjective
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dissolvinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dissolvesimple
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dissolvessimple
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have dissolvedperfect
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has dissolvedperfect
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am dissolvingprogressive
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are dissolvingprogressive
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is dissolvingprogressive
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have been dissolvingperfect progressive
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has been dissolvingperfect progressive
Past
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dissolvedsimple
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had dissolvedperfect
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was dissolvingprogressive
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were dissolvingprogressive
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had been dissolvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dissolve
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin dissolvere “to unloose”; equivalent to dis- 1 + solve
Explanation
To dissolve something is to break it up or weaken it, making it no longer recognizable. You could dissolve your book club or you could even dissolve a pill by dropping it into a glass of water. You can use the verb dissolve to describe things that are coming apart or diminishing. Dissolve goes back to the Latin root dissolvere, meaning "to loosen," and it came into English in the 14th century. Physical objects dissolve, as when bubbles dissolve in the tub or a cube of sugar will dissolve in hot tea, and intangible, or non-physical, things can fade away too: "Their friendship started to dissolve when he moved across country and they communicated less frequently."
Vocabulary lists containing dissolve
The Declaration of Independence
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"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
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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:
Borders don’t dissolve because a stadium sang together, and no treaty was signed in Foxborough, Mass., that night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Watching these tiny organelles in the nucleus dissolve, consistently across every cell line and every flu strain we tested, told us this isn't a side effect of infection -- it might be a strategy,"
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The home run helped dissolve any lingering worries about Rushing and Ohtani’s pairing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
Sanchez, a 57-year-old congressman draws on the rural background of his mentor, former president Pedro Castillo, a schoolteacher jailed after a failed attempt to dissolve Congress in 2022.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
Roman zombies began to dissolve, smoke coming off their bronze helmets.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
The emotional intensity of the moment dissolves, the wounds heal, and time marches onward.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Every controversy quickly dissolves into the next one.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
Because the material dissolves in water, researchers say it may someday circulate through rooftop solar collectors during the day before being stored in tanks that release heat at night.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
Soluble fiber — found in things like oats and lentils — dissolves in water, slows digestion and helps lower some cholesterol, Shelke said.
From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026
Cordelia’s face dissolves, re-forms: I can see her nine-year- old face taking shape beneath it.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The three-judge panel sharply questioned the Justice Department’s legal claims, saying little had changed since the government last petitioned the court to have the agreement dissolved in 2020 — a request that was rejected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
“If Flores is dissolved, it’s not going to be easy to stand up this same set of programs.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Sir Ed Davey, the party's leader, said Fifa no longer serves the game or its supporters, and should be completely dissolved.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The findings were published in Science Advances in the paper, "Hydrostatic pressure induces strong leakage of dissolved organic matter from 'marine snow' particles."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
The ponya seed paste must have dissolved in the night, because it was gone, leaving his skin only faintly touched with its scent.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
But you draw closer and those forms seem to flow like melting wax, as if the universe itself were dissolving before your eyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The Backrooms takes this to the extreme - a physical symbol of memories "dissolving into themselves".
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
Elon Musk is dissolving his artificial-intelligence company, xAI.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
The band released three albums before dissolving in 2001.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
All there was was smoke, dissolving into the lightening sky.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
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.
