Word
dispel
Phoneticsdis·pel
US/dɪˈspɛɫ/
UK/dɪspˈɛl/
Definitions
01to remove doubts or fears
v. to make a doubt, fear, or false idea go away by proving it is wrong.
v. to eliminate a belief, rumour, or emotion by demonstrating its lack of validity or necessity.
“The manager's speech helped to dispel the workers' fears about losing their jobs.”
“The recent publication of the internal audit served to dispel any lingering doubts regarding the company's financial stability.”
Formal
Usage
This verb is transitive and almost always takes an abstract noun like 'rumour', 'myth', 'doubt', or 'fear' as its object.
02to scatter or drive away
v. to make something like mist, smoke, or a crowd scatter and disappear.
v. to cause a physical mass or collection to vanish by scattering in different directions.
“The morning sun soon dispelled the heavy mist that covered the valley.”
“The sudden gust of wind dispelled the thick clouds of smoke that had gathered above the industrial site.”
Literary
Usage
Often used in descriptions of weather or physical phenomena to describe them breaking up and vanishing.
Real-World Examples
“The researchers were able to dispel old misconceptions about the famous "Midianite Pottery" and, for the first time, prove that the pottery's origin was the oasis of Qurayyah.” “But a more detailed look at those statistics quickly dispels any notion that Canadians’ worries about crime are misplaced or irrational.”
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.” Etymology
From Middle English dispelen, from Latin dispellere (“to disperse; to dispel”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/dispel