From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Dispel \Dis*pel"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Dispelled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Dispelling}.] [L. dispellere; dis- + pellere to push, drive. See {Pulse} a beating.] To drive away by scattering, or so to cause to vanish; to clear away; to banish; to dissipate; as, to dispel a cloud, vapors, cares, doubts, illusions.
[Satan] gently raised their fainting courage, and dispelled their fears. --Milton.
I saw myself the lambent easy light Gild the brown horror, and dispel the night. --Dryden.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
verb
1: force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings; "Drive away potential burglars"; "drive away bad thoughts"; "dispel doubts"; "The supermarket had to turn back many disappointed customers" [syn: {chase away}, {drive out}, {turn back}, {drive away}, {drive off}, {run off}]
2: to cause to separate and go in different directions; "She waved her hand and scattered the crowds" [syn: {disperse}, {dissipate}, {break up}, {scatter}] [also: {dispelling}, {dispelled}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
82 Moby Thesaurus words for "dispel": attenuate, be consumed, be gone, blow off, break up, cast forth, cast off, cease, cease to be, cease to exist, clear away, crumble, dematerialize, depart, die, die away, die out, dilute, disappear, disband, disintegrate, dismiss, disperse, dissipate, dissolve, diverge, do a fade-out, do away with, drive away, dwindle, eject, eliminate, erode, evanesce, evaporate, exit, expel, exterminate, fade, fade away, fade out, flee, fling off, fly, get rid of, go, go away, go separate ways, hide, leave no trace, leave the scene, liquidate, melt, melt away, oust, part, part company, pass, pass away, pass out, perish, purge, retire from sight, scatter, separate, shake off, shoo, sink, sink away, split up, suffer an eclipse, thin, thin out, throw away, throw off, unimportant, vanish, vanish from sight, volatilize, waste, waste away, wear away
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