dispel

[dih-spel]

verb (used with object)

dispelled, dispelling 

1. to drive off in various directions; disperse; dissipate.

   to dispel the dense fog.

   Antonyms: gather

2. to cause to vanish; alleviate.

   to dispel her fears.

dispel

/ dɪˈspɛl /

verb

1. (tr) to disperse or drive away

Other Word Forms

• dispellable adjective
• dispeller noun
• undispellable adjective
• undispelled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dispel¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin dispellere “to drive asunder,” equivalent to dis- dis- ¹ + pellere “to drive”

Word History and Origins

Origin of dispel¹

C17: from Latin dispellere, from _dis- ¹ + pellere to drive

Synonym Study

See scatter.

Example Sentences

Given his status as one of the most influential tech investors, the announcement has done little to dispel notions that AI stocks are in a bubble or have peaked.

Read more on MarketWatch

The show aims to dispel myths and disclose secrets about Rousseau—a misunderstood, self-taught artist who, labeled naïve, was simultaneously celebrated and mocked by the Parisian avant-garde.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Jarvis is moral and cognitively aware and dispels our anxieties that the technology could replace or even harm humans, said Chambliss, whose work explores the relationship between comics and culture.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A major shopping event in China showed sales improved, but not by enough to dispel concerns that tepid consumer spending will continue to drag on the economy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• allay 
• chase away www.thesaurus.com
• dismiss 
• disperse 
• dissipate 
• eliminate 
• resolve