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

Rather than dwelling on his Blairite roots, Burnham calls for the devolution of power away from London and points to his record as the mayor of Greater Manchester County from 2017 until last week. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Officials this week sharply reduced the amount of critical habitat in the Rocky Mountains designated for Canada lynx, forest-dwelling wildcats that are threatened by climate change and other pressures. — Matthew Brown, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2026

This is because there is the potential for soil-dwelling pathogens to easily move onto the plant’s leaves from the ground, says Mulvihill. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 18 July 2026

Advertisement The Realm of the Gwi, explained Much of the action in The East Palace occurs in the Realm of the Gwi, an The Upside Down-like mirror world where spirits dwell. — Kayti Burt, Time, 17 July 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