dissipate

verb dis·si·pate \ ˈdi-sə-ˌpāt \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: dissipate in a Sentence

Definition of dissipate

dissipated; dissipating

transitive verb

1 a : to break up and drive off

dissipate a crowd

b : to cause to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish

one's sympathy is eventually dissipated
—Andrew Feinberg

c physics : to lose (heat, electricity, etc.) irrecoverably

2 : to spend or use up wastefully or foolishly

dissipated the family fortune in reckless business ventures

intransitive verb

1 : to break up and scatter or vanish

The clouds dissipated and the sun came out.

The team's early momentum has dissipated.

2 : to be extravagant or dissolute in the pursuit of pleasure; especially : to drink to excess

his extended dissipating of the night before

—

dissipater

noun

See dissipate defined for English-language learners

See dissipate defined for kids

Examples of dissipate in a Sentence

The morning sun dissipated the fog.
The fog should dissipate soon.

Recent Examples of dissipate from the Web

But as soon as the men start to explain themselves, the threat dissipates.

— margaret gray, latimes.com, "'Bordertown Now': At Pasadena Playhouse, Culture Clash brings its brand of comedy to the wall," 8 June 2018
But then Mother Nature dissipated his momentum, leaving him farther back of the leaderboard.

— editors, USA TODAY, "Stoneman Marjory Douglas High School graduation, NBA Finals: 5 things to know this weekend," 2 June 2018
In 1992, four days before Category 5 Hurricane Andrew crashed into the Miami suburbs, the disturbance had dissipated.

— bryan norcross, Washington Post, "Hurricane forecasts are great — as long as the storms themselves behave," 1 June 2018
Once the eruption is over, the gases will quickly dissipate.

— CNN, "Hawaii volcano creating its own weather," 1 June 2018
Those aches and pains have dissipated for McMillan, who lost his entire rookie season to the flukiest of injuries.

— adam h. beasley, miamiherald, "How Ryan Tannehill helped Raekwon McMillan get his health (and confidence) back | Miami Herald," 24 May 2018
The mudslinging has mostly dissipated, though leaders of the North American Mission Board and the church community reiterated throughout the ceremony that no victims’ funds were being used for the event or construction of the new $3 million church.

— silvia foster-frau, San Antonio Express-News, "Six months later, Sutherland Springs residents count their blessings," 5 May 2018
After the synth melody and skipping beat drop get their first extended workout, the hook dissipates into a ghostly repeating echo and the drums drop out entirely, as the skies open up a distant voice appears to arrive from on high.

— andrew unterberger, Billboard, "Ten Reasons Why Avicii's 'Levels' Is One of the Greatest Songs of All Time," 20 Apr. 2018
Conversely, whatever buzz Bruno Fernando created at the combine – particularly with his athleticism and outside shooting in the drills – has seemed to dissipate.

— don markus, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland's Huerter sees first-round stock rise while Fernando, Jackson barely mentioned in mock drafts," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dissipate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dissipate

Latin dissipatus, past participle of dissipare, dissupare, from dis- + supare to throw

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

dissipate Synonyms

Phrases

play ducks and drakes with (or make ducks and drakes of);

Synonym Discussion of dissipate

scatter, disperse, dissipate, dispel mean to cause to separate or break up. scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions.

- the bowling ball scattered the pins

disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group.

- police dispersed the crowd

dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance.

- the fog was dissipated by the morning sun

dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering.

- an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt

DISSIPATE Defined for English Language Learners

dissipate

verb

Definition of dissipate for English Language Learners

: to cause (something) to spread out and disappear
: to separate into parts and disappear or go away
: to use all or a lot of (something, such as money or time) in a foolish way

DISSIPATE Defined for Kids

dissipate

verb dis·si·pate \ ˈdi-sə-ˌpāt \

Definition of dissipate for Students

dissipated; dissipating

1 : to cause to break up and disappear: disperse

The wind dissipated the clouds.

2 : to scatter or waste foolishly : squander

He dissipated his saved allowance.

Law Dictionary

dissipate

transitive verb dis·si·pate \ ˈdi-sə-ˌpāt \

legal Definition of dissipate

dissipated; dissipating

: to use (marital assets) for one's own benefit and to the exclusion of one's spouse for a purpose unrelated to the marriage at a time when the marriage is undergoing an irretrievable breakdown

—