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Definition of dissipatenext

dissipate

2 of 2

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
The storms dissipated while the Hoosiers took their first-half lead, and some blue in the sky appeared early in the second half while the Hoosiers closed in on history. Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026 The sun came out in the fourth quarter, and the clouds dissipated. The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026 Why Light Distance Matters Like sound, light intensity dissipates or gets weaker farther from the source. Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Dec. 2025 The vapor dissipates rather fast, and does not really allow for an effective way of deterring many pests. Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dissipate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissipate
Verb
  • Protesters at times refused orders to disperse, sitting in the roadway.
    CBS News, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
  • That’s inevitable for any night that has Ozomatli performing in the first half-hour and dispersing through the aisles — right on the heels of the aforementioned kids’ choir performance.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Joabe Barbosa, Matthew Plese and Omar Yousaf spent the day riding the entire MARTA rail system in an attempt to complete the full route in roughly three hours.
    Kaley Fedko, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Visitors can spend their entire trip switching off between the two, but be sure to take some time to explore the rocky cove beaches called calas that have made Costa Blanca famous.
    Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • That small body swathed like a mummy, our blind flight over the treetops, the prospect of disappearing in the middle of the jungle without a trace—all this converged to focus a singular intensity on the moment.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Last month, at least 16 files on the Department of Justice’s webpage that contained files on Epstein were reportedly found to have disappeared from its website, according to The Associated Press.
    Judy Kurtz, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Show me exactly how to reorganize my day to focus on growth drivers first, which of my tasks are secretly time-wasters dressed as important work, and how to say no to everything else.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 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
  • Indiana has lost more than 700 games in its history and now is one game away from a national title.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
  • To our minds, Wednesday's horror, those kids who lost a mother, should supplant the inevitable circling of the ideological wagons and the parsing of the different angles of pictures taken at the scene.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Bouillon cubes dissolved in white wine and milk lend an incredibly savory flavor, which is accompanied by Parmesan and pepper.
    Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025
  • This idea animates every encounter between Ma and Boomba until the distinction between good and bad, right and wrong, begins to dissolve.
    Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Who believes that, with the U.S. Congress poring over Epstein's emails, there isn't still more appalling material about Andrew and his spendthrift ex-wife Fergie to be exposed?
    Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • When measured by budget deficit – the gap between government spending and revenue – France is also among the most spendthrift in the European Union, according to Eurostat, the bloc’s statistics office.
    Ana Nicolaci da Costa, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The California Association of Realtors also predicts that, as economic uncertainty fades and rates begin to decline more steadily, the housing market should improve throughout 2026.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026
  • As human activity and food waste returned, those differences appeared to fade in later generations.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 11 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Dissipate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissipate. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

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