exorcise

verb

ex·or·cise | \ ˈek-ˌsȯr-ˌsīz,

-sər-\

variants: or less commonly exorcize

exorcised also exorcized; exorcising also exorcizing

Definition of exorcise

transitive verb

1a : to expel (an evil spirit) by adjuration

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

2 : to free of an evil spirit

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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

Nicaragua’s bishops have scheduled a month of prayer and atonement, with special Friday masses to exorcise the evils that plague the country. — José De Córdoba |, WSJ, "Church Becomes Target in Nicaragua Crisis," 23 July 2018 Opening up a portal into our deepest, darkest fears and vulnerabilities allows them to be acknowledged, expressed, and exorcised from our being. — Polo Tate, Marie Claire, "Sexual Assault in the Military: One Woman's True Story," 8 Aug. 2018 His is not a spectre which can be easily exorcised. — SI.com, "Warning Signs: How Sweden's Humble History Makers Survived and Thrived in the Post-Zlatan Era," 6 July 2018 The Soviet Union, a global superpower, disintegrated, and the specter of communism was exorcised from the continent. — Jonathan Bradley, Billboard, "Dream Up the World You're Gonna Live In: How U2's 'Zooropa' Got the Future Wrong, 25 Years Later," 5 July 2018 In the past, Williams has often looked to be exorcising personal demons in the latter stages of major tournaments — the power in her strokes matched by the fire in her eyes. — Christopher Clarey, New York Times, "Serena Williams, Enjoying Every Moment, Is Back in the Wimbledon Final," 12 July 2018 The Selecao, meanwhile, have failed to exorcise the demons of 2014, falling short again in their attempts to reclaim their status as football's greatest with this latest loss. — SI.com, "Neymar Dives, Belgium High-Fives & Lukaku Thrives - Twitter Reacts to Incredible World Cup Clash," 6 July 2018 But at least one lingering demon may have been exorcised. — Massimo Calabresi, Time, "With Justice Kennedy Gone, It's Trump's Court Now," 28 June 2018 Never has exorcising an ex's ghost looked so gleeful and oddly romantic. — Lisa Bonos, chicagotribune.com, "Can smashing a car heal a broken heart? The best, worst and weirdest moments from 'The Bachelorette'," 5 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exorcise.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.