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.
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
Knowing someone — or of someone — who is gay or lesbian has long tended to dispel falsehoods and quell fears that might exist.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Detailed information on such funds’ credit or equity positions is as private as the holdings themselves, making it difficult to either prove or dispel concerns.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
While I shook my head to dispel the direction my thoughts had taken, I thought of something else.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
