exorcise

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verb ex·or·cise \ˈek-ˌsȯr-ˌsīz, -sər-\

variants: or less commonly

exorcize

Definition of exorcise

exorcised

also

exorcized

;

exorcising

also

exorcizing

transitive verb
1a : to expel (an evil spirit) by adjurationb : to get rid of (something troublesome, menacing, or oppressive)
2 : to free of an evil spirit

exorciser

noun

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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 of exorcise from the Web

The kidnappers turn out to be Amy and Raquel, who are attempting to exorcise her.

— lincoln michel, GQ, "Crazyhead Is the Darker, British-er Version of Buffy Streaming on Netflix", 24 June 2017
Too many women who see in this an opportunity to exorcise the ghosts of all the meanness in the world, the assault on their presumed dignity, the Trump effect.

— christine m. flowers, Philly.com, "Cosby taking the hit for men who've wronged women", 13 June 2017
Golden State Coach Steve Kerr is trying to exorcise the Ghost of Game 5, 2016.

— terry pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers Pregame Scribbles: Spoiling Golden State's party -- Terry Pluto (photos)", 12 June 2017
And with a victory in Game 4 on Friday night, Golden State can exorcise those haunting demons from last June, when the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the finals to the Cavaliers.

— CBS News, "Warriors beat Cavs 118-113 to move within game of series, postseason sweep", 8 June 2017
But that means little to Golden State's players, who with a win in Game 4 on Friday night can exorcise those haunting demons from last June when the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals to the Cavaliers.

— tom withers, chicagotribune.com, "Warriors one game from NBA title, playoff sweep after stunning Cavs 118-113", 8 June 2017
And with a win in Game 4 on Friday night, Golden State can exorcise those haunting demons from last year when the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals to the Cavaliers.

— courant.com, "Durant's Big Three-Pointer Puts Warriors A Win Away From Title", 8 June 2017
And with a victory in Game 4 on Friday night, Golden State can exorcise those haunting demons from last June when the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals to the Cavaliers.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Kevin Durant tears out Cavaliers’ hearts with key three-pointer as Warriors take 3-0 lead in NBA Finals", 7 June 2017
After back-to-back years of futility against Staples, Glastonbury exorcised its greatest demon to claim the school's first Class L championship since 1992.

— jared silberkleit, courant.com, "Glastonbury Breaks Through, Beats Staples For Class L Title", 1 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of exorcise

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

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First Known Use: 1539

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