dispel
[dih-spel]
- 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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Origin of dispel
Synonyms
See more synonyms for dispel on Thesaurus.com1, 2. See scatter.
Antonyms
1. gather.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dispelled
Contemporary Examples
But at least the illusion of a short-cut to individual and national wealth has been dispelled.
I've changed my mind about same-sex marriage as experience has dispelled my fears of the harms from same-sex marriage.
But Saif dispelled the myth that his fingers had been cut off in revenge.
In His First Interview, Saif al-Islam Says He Has Not Been Given Access to a LawyerFred Abrahams
December 30, 2011
But, Gazzaniga argues, neuroscience has dispelled the myth of such a self, of such a “you.”
Further, as evidenced by the Toscano shocker, the curse on Idol's women has been far from dispelled.
Historical Examples
Just a tiny little ray of sunshine had dispelled all the gloom for a minute.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
The coming of daylight dispelled his fears but increased his loneliness.
White FangJack London
A sudden discharge of shot from the savages in ambush, dispelled that hope.
Chronicles of Border WarfareAlexander Scott Withers
The last doubts were then dispelled; the attack was coming from the east.
Had Olivier and his father the least suspicion, it would have been dispelled at once by this testimony.
Therese RaquinEmile Zola
dispel
- (tr) to disperse or drive away
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Word Origin
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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Word Origin and History for dispelled
dispel
v.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper