dispel
pronunciation
How to pronounce dispel in British English:
UK [dɪˈspel]
How to pronounce dispel in American English:
US [dɪˈspɛl]
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- Verb:
- force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings
- to cause to separate and go in different directions
Word Origin
- dispel
- dispel: see pulse
- dispel (v.)
- c. 1400, dispelen, from Latin dispellere "drive apart," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + pellere "to drive, push" (see pulse (n.1)). Since the meaning is "to drive away in different directions" it should not have as an object a single, indivisible thing (you can dispel suspicion, but not an accusation). Related: Dispelled; dispelling.
Example
- 1. Mr jonathan must dispel this dangerous sense of drift .
- 2. Indeed , it should dispel all illusions about the regime .
- 3. The outgoing government 's counterattack largely failed to dispel these concerns .
- 4. The two fast-growing chinese companies tried to dispel the indian security worries in talks .
- 5. Cannily , mr. buffett and midamerican executives made no effort to dispel this impression .