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Synonyms

dwell on

British  

verb

  1. (intr, preposition) to think, speak, or write at length

    it's no good dwelling on your misfortunes
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
dwell on Idioms  

  1. Also, dwell upon. Linger over; ponder, speak or write at length. For example, Let's not dwell on this topic too long; we have a lot to cover today. [c. 1500]

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.

She manages comedy much better than sincerity but Coiro knows how to work around it, punctuating her big speeches with quick cutaways to comic relief so we don’t dwell on them too much.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The historian who writes about decline and fall will dwell on the misdeeds of statesmen; the novelist focuses on family.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

In people, this variant influences whether someone tends to dwell on embarrassing experiences or achieve high educational success.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

As I listened, I did not dwell on the fact that the same man is routinely accused of shilling for supplements based on pseudoscience, promoting shaky science, and sowing distrust of evidence-backed medicine.

From Slate • Feb. 15, 2026

I had no time to dwell on the discovery, however, for the queen was demanding my attention.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.