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
Verb
Any hope the game might present some light relief had dissipated by the final whistle. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 Unfortunately, in overloading the series, a lot of the tension and sharpness dissipated. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 May 2025 Plus, this mattress features a base of coils that support and help dissipate heat. Nora Colomer May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 22 May 2025 Now Trump is back in office and flirting openly with authoritarianism—but the defiant energy that swept the arts during his first administration seems dissipated and tentative. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for dissipate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissipate
Verb
  • Impact grants now allow up to $20,000 to be dispersed per business.
    Erin Yarnall, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025
  • Scientists are still searching for answers about how Y. pestis evolved and dispersed, but recent analysis of ancient and modern Y. pestis samples revealed how plague managed to persist among humans for hundreds of years after pandemic waves petered out.
    Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 3 June 2025
Verb
  • The actor-writer-director, who is 31 and uses they/she pronouns, has spent the last decade or so as a niche internet presence, going viral periodically on Twitter (and then X) and TikTok with satirical front-facing videos and bone-dry one-liners.
    Rachel Brodsky, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2025
  • Smith has spent the past 15 years actively involved in criminal justice reform in Kentucky, Tennessee and countries in Central America.
    Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • All the Ubaldo family possessions disappeared; dead bodies littered the devastation.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 5 June 2025
  • In a single week in June 2008, roughly 900 people at nine newspapers were informed their jobs would disappear.
    Megan Greenwell, Rolling Stone, 5 June 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
  • Water depth - The deeper the water, the sooner a vehicle loses traction on the road.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2025
  • Rosado, 52, is an urban planner and former North Bay Village manager who previously ran for the District 4 seat in 2017, losing to Reyes.
    Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • Of course, the teeny sensors are currently the only parts of the boat that don’t dissolve away, though the article suggests that the team is working to make those edible, too.
    Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 5 June 2025
  • This trend is emerging now because the constraints that made intelligence and expertise scarce are dissolving.
    Arafat Kabir, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Finally, the claimant failed to prove that the spendthrift provision in the trust, which is critical to the protection the trust provided, should be invalidated.
    Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
  • That is often viewed by us profligate, protein-burning, fat-loving energy spendthrifts as an inferior form of metabolism.
    Stephen S. Hall, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • However, the glamour faded soon after the team docked in Manhattan.
    Andy Mitten, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • That faded, and Maresca’s task will be maintaining the charge next season.
    Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dissipate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissipate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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