dispel — means ‘to drive away in different directions, to disperse’, and is used literally with reference to fog, mist, clouds, and so on and (more commonly) with generalized abstract nouns (dispel fear / dispel myths / dispel notions / dispel suspicions) … Modern English usage
Dispel — Dis*pel , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Dispelled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Dispelling}.] [L. dispellere; dis + pellere to push, drive. See {Pulse} a beating.] To drive away by scattering, or so to cause to vanish; to clear away; to banish; to dissipate; as, to… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
dispel — c.1400, dispelen, from L. dispellere drive apart, from dis away (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + pellere to drive, push (see PULSE (Cf. pulse) (1)). Since the meaning is to drive away in different directions it should not have as an object a single,… … Etymology dictionary
dispel — dissipate, disperse, *scatter Analogous words: expel, *eject, oust, dismiss: disintegrate, crumble (see decay) Contrasted words: *accumulate, amass: *gather, collect, assemble … New Dictionary of Synonyms
dispel — [v] drive away thought, belief allay, banish, beat off*, break it up*, break up*, bust up*, cancel, chase away, crumble, deploy, disband, disintegrate, dismiss, disperse, dissipate, distribute, eject, eliminate, expel, oust, repel, resolve, rout … New thesaurus
dispel — ► VERB (dispelled, dispelling) ▪ make (a doubt, feeling, or belief) disappear. ORIGIN Latin dispellere drive apart … English terms dictionary
dispel — [di spel′] vt. dispelled, dispelling [ME dispellen < L dispellere < dis , apart + pellere, to drive: see FELT] to scatter and drive away; cause to vanish; disperse SYN. SCATTER … English World dictionary
dispel — UK [dɪˈspel] / US verb [transitive] Word forms dispel : present tense I/you/we/they dispel he/she/it dispels present participle dispelling past tense dispelled past participle dispelled to get rid of unpleasant feelings or false beliefs He was… … English dictionary
dispel — [c]/dɪsˈpɛl / (say dis pel) verb (dispelled, dispelling) –verb (t) 1. to drive off in various directions; scatter; disperse; dissipate: to dispel vapours; to dispel fear. –verb (i) 2. Rare to be scattered; melt away: the forces will dispel.… …
dispel — dispellable, adj. dispeller, n. /di spel /, v.t., dispelled, dispelling. 1. to drive off in various directions; disperse; dissipate: to dispel the dense fog. 2. to cause to vanish; alleviate: to dispel her fears. [1625 35; < L dispellere to drive … Universalium
