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

• abide
• hang around
• remain
• stay
• stick around
• tarry

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

In the meantime, send your regards and don't dwell on it. —Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 21 June 2025

Their team focuses on a few primary principles, which can be distilled down to: build trust through honesty and authenticity, communicate transparently, and, like a goldfish, don’t dwell on setbacks; learn, adapt, and keep moving forward. —Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 14 June 2025

Allows Employees To Shift Focus From Failures Gamification in the workplace can shift focus away from dwelling on failures and questioning others' motives. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025

For me, this means consciously deciding not to dwell on the past or worry about the future. —Katharine Esty, CNBC, 11 June 2025

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