Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense dissipates, present participle dissipating, past tense, past participle dissipated
1. verb
When something dissipates or when you dissipate it, it becomes less or becomes less strong until it disappears or goes away completely.
[formal]
The tension in the room had dissipated. [VERB]
He wound down the windows to dissipate the heat. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: disappear, fade, vanish, dissolve More Synonyms of dissipate
dissipationuncountable noun
...heat dissipation.
Synonyms: dispersal, scattering, vanishing, disappearance More Synonyms of dissipate
2. verb
When someone dissipates money, time, or effort, they waste it in a foolish way.
[formal]
He is dissipating his time and energy on too many different things. [VERB noun]
Her father had dissipated her inheritance. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: squander, spend, waste, consume More Synonyms of dissipate
dissipationuncountable noun
...the dissipation of my wealth.
Synonyms: dispersal, scattering, vanishing, disappearance More Synonyms of dissipate
Synonyms: waste, spending, squandering, blowing [slang] More Synonyms of dissipate
dissipate in British English
(ˈdɪsɪˌpeɪt)
verb
1.
to exhaust or be exhausted by dispersion
2. (transitive)
to scatter or break up
3. (intransitive)
to indulge in the pursuit of pleasure
Derived forms
dissipater (ˈdissiˌpater) or dissipator (ˈdissiˌpator)
noun
dissipative (ˈdissiˌpative)
adjective
Word origin
C15: from Latin dissipāre to disperse, from dis-1 + supāre to throw
dissipate in American English
(ˈdɪsəˌpeɪt)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈdissiˌpated or ˈdissiˌpating
1.
to break up and scatter; dispel; disperse
2.
to drive completely away; make disappear
3.
to waste or squander
verb intransitive
4.
to be dissipated; disperse or vanish
5.
to spend much time and energy on indulgence in pleasure, esp. drinking, gambling, etc., to the point of harming oneself
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈscatter
Derived forms
dissipater (ˈdissiˌpater)
noun or ˈdissiˌpator
dissipative (ˈdissiˌpative)
adjective
Word origin
ME dissipaten < L dissipatus, pp. of dissipare, to scatter < dis-, apart + supare, to throw < IE base *swep- > Sans svapū, broom, LowG swabbeln, to swab
Examples of 'dissipate' in a sentence
dissipate
Would there be a constant tension and anxiety or would that dissipate after a while?
Hugo Wilcken THE EXECUTION (2002)
The royal motorcade left in a mass of waving and cheering, then some of the crowd began to dissipate.
Davis, John Gordon SEIZE THE RECKLESS WIND (2002)
Then his entire head seemed to dissipate at once, to crumble with the slow-motion horror of an avalanche starting.
Gregg Hurwitz THE KILL CLAUSE (2002)
In other languages
dissipate
British English: dissipate VERB
When something dissipates or when you dissipate it, it becomes less or becomes less strong until it disappears or goes away completely.
The tension in the room had dissipated.
American English: dissipate
Brazilian Portuguese: dissipar
Chinese: 消散
European Spanish: disipar
French: dissiper
German: auflösen
Italian: dissipare
Japanese: 薄らぐ
Korean: 흩어져 사라지다
European Portuguese: dissipar
Latin American Spanish: disipar
1 (verb)
Definition
to scatter or break up
The tension in the room had dissipated.
Synonyms
disappear
The immediate threat has disappeared.
fade
After that all her worries faded away.
vanish
The aircraft vanished without trace.
dissolve
His new-found optimism dissolved.
disperse
The fog dispersed and I became aware of the sun.
evaporate
Moisture is drawn to the surface of the fabric so that it evaporates.
diffuse
Our aim is to diffuse new ideas obtained from elsewhere.
melt away
evanesce (formal)
2 (verb)
Definition
to waste or squander
Her father had dissipated her inheritance.
Synonyms
squander
He had squandered his chances to win.
spend
My stepson was spending money like it grew on trees.
waste
We can't afford to waste money on another holiday.
consume
Some refrigerators consume 70 per cent less electricity than the least efficient models.
run through
deplete
substances that deplete the ozone layer
expend
the number of calories you expend through exercise
fritter away
misspend
exhaust
consume
scatter
Additional synonyms
in the sense of consume
Definition
to use up
Some refrigerators consume 70 per cent less electricity than the least efficient models.
Synonyms
use up,
use,
spend,
waste,
employ,
absorb,
drain,
exhaust,
deplete,
squander,
utilize,
dissipate,
expend,
eat up,
fritter away
in the sense of deplete
Definition
to use up (supplies or money)
substances that deplete the ozone layer
Synonyms
use up,
reduce,
drain,
exhaust,
consume,
empty,
decrease,
evacuate,
lessen,
impoverish,
expend,
bankrupt
in the sense of diffuse
Definition
to spread over a wide area
Our aim is to diffuse new ideas obtained from elsewhere.