What does dissipate mean?
To dissipate is to scatter or disperse something so thoroughly that it effectively vanishes. The verb works both transitively and intransitively: sunlight can dissipate a morning fog, and fears can simply dissipate over time. In everyday usage, it also carries a distinctly negative sense of wastefulness — a person may dissipate a fortune through reckless spending or dissipate their energy on trivial pursuits. In physics, the term has a precise technical meaning, describing how energy, especially heat, spreads out into the environment rather than remaining concentrated in a system. Derived from the Latin verb dissipare, meaning 'to scatter' or 'to throw apart', English has used the word since at least the sixteenth century. Its connotations range from the neutral and descriptive — mist dissipating, heat dissipating from an engine — to the mildly judgmental, where it implies squandering something valuable. This flexibility makes dissipate a useful and expressive alternative to simpler words like disappear, waste, or spread.
To cause something to scatter and disappear; to dispel.
"A brisk wind dissipated the smoke hanging over the city."
Often applied to intangible things such as doubts, illusions, or heat as well as to physical substances like mist or smoke.
To waste or squander money, time, energy, or resources, typically recklessly or frivolously.
"He dissipated his savings on speculative ventures that never paid off."
Carries a negative connotation of wastefulness or self-indulgence.
To disperse gradually until gone, as of fog, smoke, emotions, or tension.
"Her anxiety slowly dissipated as she grew more familiar with the routine."
(Physics) To be expended or lost, especially as heat, from a system or material.
"The circuit includes a resistor designed to dissipate excess current as heat."
Dissipate comes from the Latin for 'to throw apart' — every time you waste money or watch mist vanish in the sun, you're literally throwing it to pieces.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dissipate
Dissipate derives from the Latin verb dissipare (also written dissupare), formed from the prefix dis- ('apart') and a root related to supare ('to throw' or 'to scatter'). The word entered English in the sixteenth century, initially carrying the sense of scattering and dispersing, and later developed its figurative sense of wasting or squandering resources. It shares its Latin ancestry with the adjective dissipated, which describes someone given to extravagant or dissolute living.
How dissipate is actually used
Register is neutral-to-formal; the word appears frequently in journalism, scientific writing, and literary prose. The intransitive use ('the fog dissipated') is common with physical phenomena and emotions, while the transitive use often carries a mildly negative connotation of wastefulness when applied to money or effort.
Easily confused with dissipate
Disseminate means to spread information or ideas widely, while dissipate means to scatter something so that it disperses and diminishes or disappears.