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

Keep your job search moving forward, and don’t dwell on one bad experience. —Jack Kelly, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024

This is a podcast about hackers, breaches, shadow government activity, hacktivism, cybercrime, and all the things that dwell on the hidden parts of the network. —David Pierce, The Verge, 1 Sep. 2024

Martin Cabrera’s late grandfather Emilio Cabrera, who was born in Wilmington, didn’t dwell too much on the day he was deported in 1931 at about 12 years old. —Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024

What was the timing for writing these two films and dwelling in these different worlds? —Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 9 Aug. 2024

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

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