as in to disperse
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart
the sudden downpour dispelled the throng of street revelers
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Recent Examples of dispel
Doesn’t that dispel the idea that tanking is necessary to build a quality roster?
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026
The popularity of Bar Panisse perhaps dispels one fear the restaurateurs might’ve had – that the place would be shunned by the community, after Waters terminated the lease of longtime tapas restaurant Cesar to make space for her new endeavor.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
However, the two officials sought to dispel the fears of Iraqi Kurdish officials that Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region would be used as a launching pad.
—Stella Martany, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This movie, based on a real-life 1940s women's professional baseball team, was ahead of its time in dispelling gender stereotypes.
—Karen Cicero, Parents, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dispel
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026
The popularity of Bar Panisse perhaps dispels one fear the restaurateurs might’ve had – that the place would be shunned by the community, after Waters terminated the lease of longtime tapas restaurant Cesar to make space for her new endeavor.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
However, the two officials sought to dispel the fears of Iraqi Kurdish officials that Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region would be used as a launching pad.
—Stella Martany, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This movie, based on a real-life 1940s women's professional baseball team, was ahead of its time in dispelling gender stereotypes.
—Karen Cicero, Parents, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dispel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispel
disperse
Verb
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This is the 10th interagency agreement the administration has reached to disperse large swaths of the work of the Education Department to other agencies.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
19 Mar. 2026
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At the school, Shaker Araqa lamented how his extended family has been dispersed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dispel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispel. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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