dispel
[ dih-spel ]
/ dɪˈspɛl /
verb (used with object), dis·pelled, dis·pel·ling.
to drive off in various directions; disperse; dissipate: to dispel the dense fog.
to cause to vanish; alleviate: to dispel her fears.
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RELATED WORDS
resolve, dismiss, dissipate, disperse, allay, eliminate, oust, disband, eject, expel, disintegrate, rout, distribute, scramble, repel, deploy, cancel, crumble, scatter, banish
Nearby words
- dispatch box,
- dispatch case,
- dispatch rider,
- dispatcher,
- dispauper,
- dispend,
- dispensable,
- dispensary,
- dispensation,
- dispensationalism
Origin of dispel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for dispel
dispel
/ (dɪˈspɛl) /
verb -pels, -pelling or -pelled
(tr) to disperse or drive away
Word Origin for dispel
C17: from Latin dispellere, from dis- 1 + pellere to drive
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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dispel
c.1400, dispelen, from Latin dispellere "drive apart," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + pellere "to drive, push" (see pulse (n.1)). Since the meaning is "to drive away in different directions" it should not have as an object a single, indivisible thing (you can dispel suspicion, but not an accusation). Related: Dispelled; dispelling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper