dissipate 1 of 2

dissipate

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb dissipate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dissipate are dispel, disperse, and scatter. While all these words mean "to cause to separate or break up," dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance.

the fog was dissipated by the morning sun

When could dispel be used to replace dissipate?

In some situations, the words dispel and dissipate are roughly equivalent. However, dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering.

an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt

When might disperse be a better fit than dissipate?

The synonyms disperse and dissipate are sometimes interchangeable, but disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group.

police dispersed the crowd

When can scatter be used instead of dissipate?

While the synonyms scatter and dissipate are close in meaning, scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions.

the bowling ball scattered the pins

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dissipate
Noun
An engine of sorts was gathering here, drawing calories closer to human settlements, energy that was dissipated in the flickers of flame and the fires of metabolism. Peter Brannen, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2025 The Pacific Ocean remains active even after Juliette dissipates, however, with hurricane center forecasters keeping an eye on three tropical waves with varying degrees of potential for development. Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025 The second season saw the #MomTok group dissipate with Taylor Frankie Paul’s infidelity and the drama with his mistress Jenna. Peter White, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025 That gives the storm enough time to move away or dissipate. Staff Reports, AZCentral.com, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dissipate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissipate
Verb
  • With tens of thousands of attendees having now dispersed, vital witnesses or clues could be lost.
    Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Several local agencies from neighboring towns were called in to assist in dispersing the unruly crowd, and no injuries were reported among the officers.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Ford dropped it from the Explorer’s retail lineup, but continues to offer it in police vehicles, which benefit from its ability to power AC and other accessories without running the engine when parked, as patrol vehicles often spend lots of time doing.
    Mark Phelan, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • California’s legal fight to get those funds back–which hadn’t been spent–will take months if not years to resolve.
    Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Join the thousands of shoppers who have already scooped up these under-the-radar sales that are about to disappear.
    Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Examples include a Brazilian boy who had his pancreatic malformation disappear in 2013.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Who is a time waster and who is your next biggest client?
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
  • For example, default settings for focus time added blocking of sites in the categories Shopping, Tabloids, and Time wasters.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Ayman Soliman, a former hospital chaplain, has been detained by immigration authorities since July after losing his asylum status.
    Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The band’s foundation was built on the joint songwriting of Davies and Hodgson, who sang lead on most of Supertramp’s hits, but their partnership was beginning to dissolve by the early 1980s.
    David Chiu, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Some samples were kept sealed to enable study of ancient gases dissolved in the water.
    Rodrique Ngowi, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Republicans should make liberals justify their own spendthrift ways, rather than playing defense.
    Erick Erickson, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
  • The last generation’s spendthrifts have become this generation’s scolds, as controversies recur over the same parcels of land with new names in the old roles.
    Andrew Rice, Curbed, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Midnight blue, a heavier shade, has been favored in recent years as the summer fades and fall approaches.
    Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2025
  • As the sun set over the East River, the music faded but the warmth lingered.
    Essence, Essence, 6 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dissipate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissipate. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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