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 bit is over, there is no need to dwell on it, and Fleming has plenty more show to get to. —John Roy, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars (1912) tells the story of John Carter, a Civil War soldier mysteriously transported to a Mars inhabited by aliens who dwell along the desert world’s life-giving canals. —Big Think, 19 Feb. 2026

Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them. —Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026

What was intriguing about this was the fact that the TDE occurred around 10,000 light-years away from the center of this galaxy, where its supermassive black hole dwells. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Feb. 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