dispel

dispel (dɪˈspɛl)

—vb , -pels, -pelling, -pelled
	(tr) to disperse or drive away

[C17: from Latin dispellere, from dis-¹ + pellere to drive]

dis'peller

—n

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

dispel

1630s, from L. dispellere "drive apart," from dis- "away" + pellere "to drive, push." 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 sentences

Nor, in all honesty, did they do much to dispel that belief.

This is precisely what the book reviewed above tries to dispel.

The perfect tool to dispel the myths and misconceptions that many people have

about big bang cosmology.

By working to dispel myths and misperceptions about various groups.

Want dispel ad-free? Click here!

resolutive resolve satisfy slumber unthink

Matching Quote

"When we were told that by freedom we understood free enterprise, we did very little to dispel this monstrous falsehood.... Wealth and economic well-being, we have asserted, are the fruits of freedom, while we should have been the first to know that this kind of "happiness" ... has been an unmixed blessing only in this country, and it is a minor blessing compared with the truly political freedoms, such as freedom of speech and thought, of assembly and association, even under the best conditions."

-Hannah Arendt