exorcise

verb

ˈek-ˌsȯr-ˌsīz How to pronounce exorcise (audio)
variants also exorcize
Definition of exorcisenext
as in to discard
to get rid of as useless or unwanted please exorcise that offensive word from your vocabulary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 exorcise Naim and his overly anxious single mom (Mia Wasikowska) attend rote church services in which the pastor looks to exorcise the LGBTQ+ from sinful boys who like boys and girls who like girls. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 The Three Lions will also have to exorcise decades of demons to achieve something the likes of Gary Lineker, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney never could. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 June 2026 What followed was 50-some-odd years of demons being exorcised in Madison Square Garden. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 11 June 2026 And then, in absentia, there’s Santiago Calatrava, the architect whose example Penn Station tries to exorcise from the story of New York transportation design. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for exorcise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exorcise
  1. discard
  2. dump
  3. unload
  4. ditch
  5. lose
Verb
  • But more typical are quality-of-life complaints from riders who report people drinking or getting high at stations or discarding bags of fast food debris on platforms.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
  • Dogs are also very susceptible to a condition called pancreatitis, which can follow consumption of fatty foods (like discarded fast foods).
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2026
Definition of discard
Verb
  • Spain deployed 2,600 firefighters, police and other emergency personnel to two blazes west of Madrid, backed by 19 water-dumping aircraft and helicopters.
    — Mark Carlson, Fortune, 25 July 2026
  • The audience is able to vote on who gets dumped from the island based on which couples are most compatible, including choosing the winning couple that ultimately gets awarded $100,000.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 25 July 2026
Definition of dump
Verb
  • The month-long voyage would involve picking up oil from either Saudi Arabia or Iraq and unloading it in the Gulf of Oman.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 24 July 2026
  • The team that has looked mostly hapless at the plate the last two months unloaded eight singles, seven home runs, four doubles, two walks and, on Christmas In July Night at Progressive Field, a partridge in a pear tree.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of unload
Verb
  • This buttery-soft basic is worth ditching your frumpy tees for.
    — Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The pressure is rising on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ditch a World Cup privatization plan that could draw investments up to $20 billion, but which has drawn widespread condemnation from most of soccer's worldwide governing bodies.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of ditch
Verb
  • As team president Mark Donovan put it on Wednesday while speaking at the opening of training camp at Missouri Western, the focus forward began almost instantly after the Chiefs lost their season finale to the Raiders in Las Vegas.
    — Vahe Gregorian July 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
  • Lipow estimates the world has lost about 6 million to 7 million barrels of refining capacity per day, making existing refineries even more profitable.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
Definition of lose

Browse Nearby Words

exorbitantly
exorcise
exorcised
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exorcise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exorcise. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on exorcise

Nglish: Translation of exorcise for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of spindrift

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All