Synonyms of dispel

dispel

verb

di-ˈspel 

as in to disperse

to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart

the sudden downpour dispelled the throng of street revelers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disperse
• dissipate
• scatter
• isolate
• disband
• squander
• segregate
• disseminate
• clear out
• diffuse
• split (up)
• separate
• part
• spread
• break up
• diverge

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collect
• gather
• concentrate
• assemble
• congregate
• cluster
• unite
• unify
• conglomerate
• ingather
• agglutinate

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb dispel differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dispel are disperse, dissipate, and scatter. While all these words mean "to cause to separate or break up," dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering.

an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt

When would disperse be a good substitute for dispel?

While in some cases nearly identical to dispel, disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group.

police dispersed the crowd

When could dissipate be used to replace dispel?

The words dissipate and dispel can be used in similar contexts, but dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance.

the fog was dissipated by the morning sun

When might scatter be a better fit than dispel?

The meanings of scatter and dispel largely overlap; however, scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions.

the bowling ball scattered the pins

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dispel

The central government eventually had to step in, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa holding a news conference on Tuesday to dispel rumors. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025

Athena wasn’t going to be an easy opponent, but Storm has proved to dispel the best of the best with ease. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2025

The tennis star's candor may help to dispel the pesky health inaccuracy that weight loss is a simple matter of exercise. —Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025

Lamberth, the House majority leader, did little on April 17 to dispel the notion that his controversial bill that could allow schools to block undocumented students from enrolling is dead for the year. —Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025