exorcise

verb

ex·​or·​cise ˈek-ˌsȯr-ˌsīz  -sər- 

variants or less commonly exorcize

exorcised also exorcized; exorcising also exorcizing

transitive verb

1

a

: to expel (an evil spirit) by adjuration

b

: to get rid of (something troublesome, menacing, or oppressive)

2

: to free of an evil spirit

exorciser noun

Synonyms

• eliminate
• discard
• eradicate
• remove
• shed
• jettison
• ditch
• dump
• unload
• reject
• lose
• cast (off)
• slough (off)
• scrap
• dispose of
• throw away
• set aside

Examples of exorcise in a Sentence

The movie is about a priest who tries to exorcise demons from a young girl.

please exorcise that offensive word from your vocabulary

Recent Examples on the Web

And the Nuggets now have to exorcise the demons of last year’s Game 7 against Minnesota. —Zach Harper, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Months before, Stevens feared President Johnson was pursuing a Reconstruction program that would readmit Confederate states to the Union without them exorcising the demon that animated secession. —Literary Hub, 5 June 2025

Birbiglia wrote and directed and says that process exorcised most of those feelings for him. —Belinda Luscombe, Time, 23 May 2025

Premier outside hitter Finn Bell anchored an otherwise deep group to reach the title game for the second straight year – exorcising the Warriors’ demons by beating the Bombers in the state semifinals. —Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 21 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French exorciscer, from Late Latin exorcizare, from Greek exorkizein, from ex- + horkizein to bind by oath, adjure, from horkos oath

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for exorcise

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

exorcise

verb

ex·​or·​cise ˈek-ˌsȯr-ˌsīz 

-sər-

exorcised; exorcising

: to drive (as an evil spirit) off by calling upon some holy name or by spells