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 of dwell

• remain
• stay
• wait

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

The baseball calendar will chew up and spit out those who dwell on one outcome out of 162, so little about Espada’s demeanor should be a surprise. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Each vacation rental unit can only have one agreement at a time, which is intended for properties that may have an accessory dwelling unit, Cortez said. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026

Every other entry either dwells in its characters’ filth throughout or reveals a new level of depravity as the climactic joke. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026

Biographies about Honest Abe often dwell on his legendary sense of humor. — John Blumenthal, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026

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