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

While the newlyweds lived at Nottingham Cottage and the Cotswolds, extensive renovations reportedly transformed Frogmore from a five-unit dwelling into a five-bedroom single-family home, costing about $3 million. —Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 27 Nov. 2025

Other uses for this cycle include items that need light cleaning or freshening, or for rinsing garments after using a stain-removing agent that shouldn’t dwell overly long on the fabric, such as lemon juice. —Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Nov. 2025

Rather than dwelling on the past, why not focus on the present? —Ahmed Naji, The Dial, 18 Nov. 2025

The program does not dwell on shot analysis, or any other kind of analysis. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Nov. 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