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

With hundreds of bags to exorcise from his head, DBD has no time for silly games. —Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

If those bleak memories had not already been exorcised by moving up two divisions in as many years, this latest promotion should surely have done the trick once and for all. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025

Gregory argued that Magdalene should be understood as highly sinful, referring to a story, in the Book of Luke, in which Jesus exorcised seven demons from her body. —Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025

Everyone loves a redemption story, and this journey gives Notre Dame a chance to exorcise a few demons, most notably, against TCU in the Sweet 16. —Chantel Jennings, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 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