dispel

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɪsˈpɛl/ UK /dɪsˈpɛl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to drive away or cause to vanish, as doubts or fears

Her calm explanation helped dispel the rumors circulating online.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to drive away or cause to... dissipate disperse banish scatter dismissdrive awayexpel

Opposites

gather summon collect amass instill

Word family

Derived forms dispeller

Related forms expel repel compel propel impel

Simplified etymology

Dispel entered English in the late Middle Ages and goes back to Latin pellere, “to drive,” with the etymological sense “drive apart.”

Etymology

From Latin dispellere ('to drive apart'), from dis- ('apart') + pellere ('to drive, push'), from PIE *pelh₂- ('to drive, strike').

dispellere Latin pellere Latin *pelh₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# dispel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪsˈpɛl/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪsˈpɛl/

## Meanings
1. to drive away or cause to vanish, as doubts or fears

## Examples
- Her calm explanation helped dispel the rumors circulating online.

## Synonyms
- dissipate
- disperse
- banish
- scatter
- dismiss
- drive away
- expel

## Antonyms
- gather
- summon
- collect
- amass
- instill

## Derived Forms
- dispeller

## Related Forms
- expel
- repel
- compel
- propel
- impel

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dispellere
- Root: pellere
- Root: *pelh₂-

## Etymology
From Latin dispellere ('to drive apart'), from dis- ('apart') + pellere ('to drive, push'), from PIE *pelh₂- ('to drive, strike').

## AI Etymology
Dispel is from Latin dispellere ('to drive apart'), from dis- ('apart') + pellere ('to drive, push'), from PIE *pelh₂- ('to drive, strike'). The ancestry passes through Latin dispellere, Latin pellere, and Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂-. The prefix dis- often marks separation, reversal, or negation in Latin and English formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a verb, it means "to drive away or cause to vanish, as doubts or fears", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include expel, repel, compel, propel, and impel; derived forms include dispeller.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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