dissipate

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verb dis·si·pate \ˈdi-sə-ˌpāt\

Definition of dissipate

dissipated

;

dissipating

transitive verb
1a : to break up and drive off dissipate a crowdb : to cause to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish one's sympathy is eventually dissipated — Andrew Feinbergc 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 the whiff of scandal might not dissipate so quickly, as much as the university wants to click its heels and make … it … stop.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "New Mexico athletics awash in scandal", 3 June 2017
That, in fact, is part of its pleasure — the sense of noise and frantic activity recently dissipated, the peace of a classroom just emptied.

— fen montaigne, New York Times, "A Half-Century of Walking Cape Cod’s Beaches", 2 June 2017
Aided by the imposition of martial law, the unrest dissipated.

— terry hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, "'The Russian Revolution' is a superb account of this seminal event", 1 June 2017
Consequently, the need for consumer protections specific to watch purchases has dissipated.

— anna m. tinsley, star-telegram, "What did lawmakers do about littering, drinking on buses and cellphones?", 26 May 2017
After remnant clouds dissipate, Saturday promises to be pleasant, with emerging sunshine boosting temperatures to seasonable levels.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Holiday weekend to bring some sun, some rain", 26 May 2017
Taking his cue from chaos theory, Hoffman believes the right jolt of energy can knock a hurricane off course or even dissipate it before landfall.

— brendan i. koerner, WIRED, "The Super Power Issue8 Super Powers", 1 Aug. 2003

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

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

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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

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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

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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