exorcise
Americanverb (used with object)
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exorcises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exorcised,
past participle, past
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exorcising
present participle
-
to seek to expel (an evil spirit) by adjuration or religious or solemn ceremonies.
to exorcise a demon.
-
to free (a person, place, etc.) of evil spirits or malignant influences.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exorcisesimple
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exorcisessimple
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have exorcisedperfect
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has exorcisedperfect
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am exorcisingprogressive
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are exorcisingprogressive
-
is exorcisingprogressive
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have been exorcisingperfect progressive
-
has been exorcisingperfect progressive
Past
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exorcisedsimple
-
had exorcisedperfect
-
was exorcisingprogressive
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were exorcisingprogressive
-
had been exorcisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exorcise
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin exorcizāre, from Greek exorkízein, equivalent to ex- “out of, from” ( see ex- 3 + (h)orkízein “to cause (someone) to swear an oath”
Explanation
To exorcise is to cast out a devil or evil spirit, using prayer and other religious tools. You're probably familiar with the name of the person who does this: an exorcist. Don't try to exorcise a demon yourself. Call an exorcist. One way to remember the word exorcise is that it sounds like "exercise," which means to work out or train your body or mind. Casting out devils is hard work, so be sure to exercise before you exorcise. A boxer doesn't box without exercising first. And an exorcist doesn't exorcise without getting ready first either. The devil is a tough opponent, so you'd better get warmed up before you try to exorcise him from that little girl.
Vocabulary lists containing exorcise
Power Prefix: ex-
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Bless Me, Ultima
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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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:
The modern West tried to exorcise these demons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
To exorcise the ghosts of Paris, they must wait until 2027.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2024
Three years wiser with two seasons of college competition steeling her nerves, Chiles put together a stellar qualification Sunday to exorcise her Olympic demons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024
With a first-round matchup against the Golden Knights or Kings, Demers said “Edmonton just needs to exorcise those demons.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2024
Or where Ben-Jamin teams up the Crowned Sorceress, Sam O’Mal, to exorcise the vicious spirits that were possessing Hudsonien so he can find happiness again.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
"She exorcises herself through the use of song, which was really brilliant to do."
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2025
While it never glorifies slavery or secession, it exorcises a spirit of mourning.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2023
In a tearful embrace with De Palma late in the tale, Barrera exorcises Carmen’s pent-up sorrow, convincing us that she is capable of great dramatic nuance, even if the writing doesn’t explore her character’s psychology.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2023
“I really don’t think it exorcises any demons or anything like that. That game is over and has been played.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2021
And hence the sentiment, when pure, creates a sort of companionship of beings robed in celestial light and exorcises those degrading passions which belong to earth.
From Beacon Lights of History by John Lord
"You will see a change in behaviour... a different consciousness. Something else takes over a person," Syquia said, noting he had personally exorcised a demon only a week earlier.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
The loss has been analysed but not exorcised is his gist.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026
Now that it’s exorcised and in the world, I miss my walks, my coffees, my blank page, my fire-filled chest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
But if there were any chance of changing my mind and taking the plunge, watching “Welcome to Derry” has permanently exorcised any phantom longings.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2025
But the hand of the professional decorator had exorcised whatever ghosts of the French bourgeoisie might still haunt the thick brick walls of the building.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
On Sunday, he played those three holes par, par and birdie, going some distance toward exorcising the demons of 2011.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
LeBron James has 32 points as the Lakers get a second win in Sacramento in three days, exorcising past demons of being dominated recently by their rivals to the north.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2024
Wiktor can help some of the locals by exorcising their demons, but he can also summon salutors to help him fight the imperial Russian soldiers who control the city.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2024
The Ibrox side had harboured hopes of exorcising last season's disfigured continental campaign but were unable to eject the Dutch from the competition in the way they did here last term.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2023
They were not arresting a man, they were exorcising fear.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
