dissipation

noun

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dis·si·pa·tion | \ ˌdi-sə-ˈpā-shən

Definition of dissipation

1 : the action or process of dissipating : the state of being dissipated:

a : dispersion, diffusion the dissipation of the smoke the dissipation of enemy forces

b archaic : dissolution, disintegration

c : wasteful expenditure the dissipation of the family's fortune

d : intemperate living especially : excessive drinking

2 : an act of self-indulgence lived a life of dissipation especially : one that is not harmful : amusement

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Examples of dissipation in a Sentence

Insulation helps prevent the dissipation of heat from houses in the winter. a movie about the dissipation of a famous heir's fortune He lived a life of dissipation.

Recent Examples on the Web The proprietary aluminum shell design ensures steady heat dissipation so the GigaDrive never gets too hot, a situation that can considerably slow down data transfers. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes, "The Blazing GigaDrive SSD Claims The Fastest Speeds On The Market," 18 Apr. 2021 The precepts of originalism and textualism reinforce the Straussian focus on foundation texts, the timeless universality of frozen language, and moral dissipation. — Peter Hammond Schwartz, The New Republic, "Originalism Is Dead. Long Live Catholic Natural Law.," 3 Feb. 2021 And the material properties of the bristles and the design of the brushes ensure optimum dissipation of any electrostatic charge, while also preventing new static formation during cleaning. — Robert Ross, Robb Report, "Review: You Might Not Be a True Audiophile Without the State-of-the-Art Ramar Record Brush," 2 Apr. 2021 The extra thickness should also help with heat dissipation, allowing Qualcomm to bump up gaming performance without worrying about overheating. — Chris Smith, BGR, "Qualcomm is making a Nintendo Switch clone of its own," 24 Mar. 2021 Most notably, though, the camera that stands in for the audience allows Bueno, whose work is a tour-de-force, to focus her waves of emotional energy on a specific spot, rather than the usual dissipation in a large auditorium. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Joffrey Ballet’s virtual, bursting ‘Boléro’ brings us a rite of spring," 28 Feb. 2021 The quad exhaust tailpipes have been treated with Cerakote to help with heat dissipation; the rear lights also incorporate small vents. — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, "1817-HP Hennessey Venom F5 Revealed, Claims 311-MPH Top Speed," 15 Dec. 2020 While some higher-end Snapdragon 865 phones have big, fancy heat pipes in them now, the Pixel 5 just has a big slab of metal on top of the motherboard for heat dissipation. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "Pixel 5 teardown shows off the guts of Google’s latest flagship," 2 Nov. 2020 The sleeve only has minimal contact with the steel, creating a cushion of air that the company says aids in heat dissipation. — John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, "Springfield Armory’s Model 2020 Waypoint Is an Accurate New Hunting Rifle with Competition Features," 29 Sep. 2020

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