dissolve
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dissolves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dissolved,
past participle, past
-
dissolving
present participle
-
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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dissolves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dissolved,
past participle, past
-
dissolving
present participle
-
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
-
had dissolvedperfect
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was dissolvingprogressive
-
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:
In paintings from that decade, Caland’s imagery of bodies swell, split, meld and dissolve.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
The stock market stabilized on Thursday after the central bank injected liquidity into the financial system, placed the troubled funds under the control of banks and announced plans to dissolve them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Yu added that Beijing hopes, through the "geographical integration" of the two cities, "to gradually dissolve the borders".
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Earlier work by the same team, published in 2018, had identified compounds that dissolve in fat in the urine and feces of rats given sucralose.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The peanut butter, which was supposed to dissolve in the milk, broke off into clumps, like soft pebbles.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
The budget, as big as it is, is only one item on the executive's to-do list before the assembly dissolves in March ahead of the election.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Instead, the Royal Mint uses a process that dissolves the gold at room temperature.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
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
The factory owners in Germany have grown wealthy;—dysentery dissolves our bowels.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
The order was dissolved in April 2022, court records show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Once they got around to talking, Sepinwall’s doubts dissolved.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
It was dissolved and removed from the register of charities in 2024.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
They then dissolved the powdered enamel in phosphoric acid, releasing carbon dioxide gas that contained the isotope bonds they wanted to study.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
It had all seemed like a wonderful dream, and with my father’s death, it had dissolved like one, too.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
When Diana’s fairy-tale marriage was dissolving, she sought solace from her stepmother.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Longer follow-up and larger controlled trials will be essential to determine how durable the benefits are, which patients respond best, and whether dissolving particles offer advantages over other embolization materials.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
The home’s dissolving interior boundary suits an artist who has spent her career questioning where humans fit within the vastness of space and time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The point is to let those deeply savory ingredients spend some time in the heat rather than simply dissolving them into broth at the end.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
She holds it like it is keeping her from dissolving away.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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