| 1 |
[ verb ] force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings
Synonyms Examples "Drive away potential burglars' "drive away bad thoughts" "dispel doubts" "The supermarket had to turn back many disappointed customers" Used in print (William G. Pollard, Physicist and Christian....)In doing so science has unquestionably cleared_up widespread misconceptions , removed extraneous and illusory sources of fear , and dispelled many undesirable popular superstitions . (Frank Oppenheimer, "Science and Fear-- A Discussion...)There are certainly large areas of understanding in the human sciences which in themselves and even without political invention can help to dispel our present fears . I am certainly not adequately trained to describe or enlarge on human fears , but there are certain features of the fears dispelled by scientific explanations that stand_out quite clearly . In_fact , although we have dispelled the fear , we have not necessarily assured ourselves that there are no dangers . The achievements which dispelled our fears of the cosmos took_place three centuries ago . |
| 2 |
[ verb ] to cause to separate and go in different directions, of crowds, for example
Examples "She waved her hand and scattered the crows." Related terms |
| * |
|