dissipate

verb dis·si·pate \ ˈdi-sə-ˌpāt \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

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

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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

As the scrum of reporters dissipated around Foligno, team president John Davidson approached and offered a congratulatory handshake, joking about how his captain might need to wear a goalie mask for Game 2.

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "Despite Injuries and Penalties, Blue Jackets Prove Resilient in OT Win Against Capitals," 13 Apr. 2018
In Shejaiya, the energy seen earlier in the crowd dissipated by late afternoon.

— david m. halbfinger and iyad abuheweila, New York Times, "One Dead Amid Violence in 3rd Week of Protests at Gaza-Israel Fence," 13 Apr. 2018
The neck issue was bothering him in the fall but had dissipated before the the start of the season.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "TCU ace pushed back to Sunday with neck issue | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 5 Apr. 2018
The widespread anxiety over the outcome of the coalition talks finally dissipated after the Social Democratic Party (SPD) decided on March 4 to join the government, cementing Merkel's continued leadership.

— chicagotribune.com, "Merkel's military revival," 29 Mar. 2018
Further, and this is just a morbid reality, there will be more school shootings before the November elections, so the focus on voting and registering thousands of teenagers to vote won’t suddenly dissipate after summer vacation.

— jason johnson, The Root, "Yes, the March for Our Lives Was About Black People, Too—and It’s About Time," 26 Mar. 2018
Thankfully, the stigma of using your smartphone to find a life partner has almost completely dissipated.

— The Cut, "Found: The Solutions to Your Dating-App Struggles," 10 Mar. 2018
Dramatic tension is therefore continually diffused and dissipated.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Man with dementia faces the endgame in 'Outgoing Tide'," 25 Feb. 2018
USA TODAY Tsunami fears that put authorities on edge along the entire West Coast dissipated Tuesday after a tsunami off Alaska failed to generate dangerous waves following a violent earthquake.

— john bacon, USA TODAY, "Tsunami advisories along West Coast canceled after powerful earthquake off Alaska," 23 Jan. 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

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