dwell

[dwel]

verb (used without object)

dwelt, dwelled, dwelling. 

1. to live or stay as a permanent resident; reside.

2. to live or continue in a given condition or state.

   to dwell in happiness.

3. to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought, speech, or writing (often followed by on orupon ).

   to dwell on a particular point in an argument.

4. (of a moving tool or machine part) to be motionless for a certain interval during operation.

noun

1. Machinery.

   1. a flat or cylindrical area on a cam for maintaining a follower in a certain position during part of a cycle.

   2. a period in a cycle in the operation of a machine or engine during which a given part remains motionless.

dwell

/ dwɛl /

verb

1. formal,  to live as a permanent resident

2. to live (in a specified state)

   to dwell in poverty

noun

1. a regular pause in the operation of a machine

2. a flat or constant-radius portion on a linear or rotary cam enabling the cam follower to remain static for a brief time

Other Word Forms

• dweller noun
• outdwell verb (used with object)
• predwell verb (used without object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of dwell¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English dwellen “to lead astray; stun; abide,” Old English dwellan “to lead or go astray; hinder”; cognate with Old Norse dvelja

Word History and Origins

Origin of dwell¹

Old English dwellan to seduce, get lost; related to Old Saxon bidwellian to prevent, Old Norse dvelja, Old High German twellen to prevent

Example Sentences

That song opened Friday night's encore, which dwelt largely on their 90s material, including Let Down - a deep cut that's had a new lease of life on TikTok - and the epic Paranoid Android.

Read more on BBC

Mr. Richardson tries not to dwell on the subject, but it’s clear that Matthiessen possessed a Paul Newman-esque beauty, which he found both burdensome and advantageous.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I don’t have the time to dwell on Tano’s weird windows.

Read more on Literature

“History, too, must go. The past is over and done with. I see no need to dwell upon it.”

Read more on Literature

In a recent interview with NPR, she reveals that she’s reached a place of “acceptance” and “strange apathy,” adding that she isn’t seeking reconciliation and doesn’t dwell on repairing the relationship.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• bide 
• exist 
• hole up 
• inhabit 
• reside 
• squat