dwell

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

Synonyms of dwell

• remain
• stay
• wait

Examples of dwell in a Sentence

a cave where bats dwell

dwelling with a farm family as an exchange student in France

Recent Examples on the Web

Or maybe her album pace was just so quick that there wasn’t time to dwell on a previous cycle. —Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 24 Feb. 2026

Either way, avoid dwelling on the topic with them for hours at a time, Pressman says. —Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026

Fudd and Ducharme are trying not to dwell on the ‘lasts’ of their college careers yet, especially with plenty of season left to play. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2026

Of course, the Hamnet star is far too busy to dwell too long on which cereal bar to tuck into her Chanel bag, and anyway, her actual ride-or-die product is far more real than a Trek flapjack. —Alice Newbold, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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