dwell

1 of 2

verb

ˈdwel 

dwelled ˈdweld 

ˈdwelt

or dwelt ˈdwelt  ; dwelling

intransitive verb

1

: to remain for a time

dwell in the hallway

2

a

: to live as a resident

the town in which he dwelled for eight years

the dwelling place of the gods

b

: exist, lie

where the heart of the matter dwells

3

a

: to keep the attention directed

—used with on or upon

tried not to dwell on my fears

b

: to speak or write insistently

—used with on or upon

reporters dwelling on the recent scandal

dweller

ˈdwe-lər 

noun

dweller

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noun

dwell·​er

-lə(r)

plural -s

: one that dwells : inhabitant, resident

a vast number of services available for city and town dwellers

—J. B. Conant

Synonyms of dwell

Verb

• remain
• stay
• wait

Examples of dwell in a Sentence

Verb

a cave where bats dwell

dwelling with a farm family as an exchange student in France

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In college, a difficult weekend can leave a player with several days to dwell on what went wrong before another game offers a chance to respond. — Michael Russo, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

There are two things the Workday cofounder dwelled on in advance of his return as CEO. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Since the early 20th century, dairy producers in the US have briefly heated milk to kill the array of dangerous pathogens that naturally dwell in and around cattle and can easily migrate into milk. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026

The new branding is a sign that Ellison isn’t taking any time to dwell on the past. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English dwellan to go astray, hinder; akin to Old High German twellen to tarry

Noun

Middle English, from dwellen to dwell + -er

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dwell

• dwell on/upon

Rhymes for dwell

• bel
• belle
• cel
• cell
• dell
• el
• ell
• fel
• fell
• gel
• gell
• jell

Kids Definition

dwell

verb

ˈdwel 

dwelled ˈdweld  ˈdwelt  or dwelt ˈdwelt  ; dwelling

1

: to stay for a while

2

: to live in a place : reside

3

: to keep the attention directed

dwelled on their mistakes

dweller noun