exorcise

ex·or·cise | \ ˈek-ˌsȯr-ˌsīz

How to pronounce exorcise (audio)

, -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 Three seasons removed from 0-16, Cleveland can exorcise demons for players and fans. — Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, "Steelers vs. Browns live stream (1/3): How to watch NFL Week 17 online, TV, time," 3 Jan. 2021 The tiny sample size was enough to temper expectations for a group trying to exorcise the memory of last season’s league-worst record. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Questions mount as Warriors lose big in Christmas Day game to Bucks," 25 Dec. 2020 What then is to be done to exorcise the many ghosts in those cold war stories of liberalism, democracy, and the free world? — Pankaj Mishra, The New York Review of Books, "Grand Illusions," 21 Oct. 2020 Martine eventually takes Leti and Tic to the basement to exorcise the spirit of Hiram from the house and free his victims. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Lovecraft Country Episode 3 Recap: Welcome To Leti’s Haunted House," 31 Aug. 2020 This is a chance for Mayfield to get his swagger back, to get more comfortable in Kevin Stefanski’s offense and to exorcise some of the demons that have plagued him over the last six quarters. — Dan Labbe, cleveland, "Will this week’s criticism fuel Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield?," 22 Oct. 2020 Martine eventually takes Leti and Tic to the basement to exorcise the spirit of Hiram from the house and free his victims. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Lovecraft Country Episode 3 Recap: Welcome To Leti’s Haunted House," 31 Aug. 2020 Martine eventually takes Leti and Tic to the basement to exorcise the spirit of Hiram from the house and free his victims. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Lovecraft Country Episode 3 Recap: Welcome To Leti’s Haunted House," 31 Aug. 2020 Now Kershaw may finally be positioned to exorcise his demons. — Jared Diamond, WSJ, "Dodgers Ace Clayton Kershaw Is Ready—Again—to Put His Playoff Struggles Behind Him," 5 Oct. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

9 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Exorcise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exorcise. Accessed 23 Jan. 2021.

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