verb
dispel
dih-SPEH
verb
1
To make fears, doubts, or false ideas disappear by showing they have no basis.
"The coach's calm words dispelled the team's nerves before the final."
"New evidence dispelled any doubt about who was responsible."
How to Use Dispel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo get rid of a feeling, rumor, or doubt by proving it wrong.
Common pairings
dispel doubts
dispel rumors
dispel fears
dispel a myth
Word Forms
dispelled past tense, dispels plural, dispels singular
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Etymology
From Latin dispellere, "to drive apart or scatter" — from dis- ("apart") + pellere ("to push, drive").