dissolve

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/dɪˈzɒlv/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/dɪˈzɑlv/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(di zolv)

Inflections of 'dissolve' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
dissolves
v 3rd person singular
dissolving
v pres p
dissolved
v past
dissolved
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
dis•solve /dɪˈzɑlv/USA pronunciation   v., -solved, -solv•ing. 
  1. Chemistryto (cause to) become a mixture or solution of: [no object]The sugar will dissolve in your coffee.[+ object]Dissolve the sugar in the coffee by stirring it.
  2. to (cause to) become undone;
    (cause to) come to an end: [+ object]They dissolved their marriage.[no object]He helplessly watched his marriage dissolve.
  3. to break up (an assembly);
    dismiss:[+ object]The king dissolved parliament.
  4. to lose intensity or strength:[no object]Most of these problems won't simply dissolve.
  5. dissolve into, [+ into + object] to break down emotionally;
    collapse:dissolved into a fit of laughter.
See -solv-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
dis•solve  (di zolv),USA pronunciation v. -solved, -solv•ing, n. 
v.t. 
  1. Chemistryto make a solution of, as by mixing with a liquid;
    pass into solution:to dissolve salt in water.
  2. Chemistryto melt;
    liquefy:to dissolve sugar into syrup.
  3. to undo (a tie or bond);
    break up (a connection, union, etc.).
  4. to break up (an assembly or organization);
    dismiss;
    disperse.
  5. Governmentto order the termination of (a parliament or other legislative body).
  6. to bring to an end;
    terminate;
    destroy:to dissolve one's hopes.
  7. to separate into parts or elements;
    disintegrate.
  8. to destroy the binding power or influence of:to dissolve a spell.
  9. Lawto deprive of force;
    abrogate;
    annul:to dissolve a marriage.

v.i. 
  1. Chemistryto become dissolved, as in a solvent.
  2. Chemistryto become melted or liquefied.
  3. to disintegrate, break up, or disperse.
  4. to lose force, intensity, or strength.
  5. to disappear gradually;
    fade away.
  6. to break down emotionally;
    lose one's composure:The poor child dissolved in tears.
  7. Show Business[Motion Pictures, Television.]to fade out one shot or scene while simultaneously fading in the next, overlapping the two during the process.

n. 
  1. Cinema, Show BusinessAlso called lap dissolve, cross-dissolve. [Motion Pictures, Television.]a transition from one scene to the next made by dissolving.
  • Latin dissolvere, equivalent. to dis- dis-1 + solvere to solve
  • Middle English 1350–1400
dis•solv′a•bili•ty, dis•solva•ble•ness, n. 
dis•solva•ble, adj. 
dis•solver, n. 
dis•solving•ly, adv. 
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See melt. 
    • 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged sever, loosen.
    • 5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged adjourn.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
dissolve / dɪˈzɒlv/
  1. to go or cause to go into solution
  2. to become or cause to become liquid; melt
  3. to disintegrate or disperse
  4. to come or bring to an end
  5. to dismiss (a meeting, parliament, etc) or (of a meeting, etc) to be dismissed
  6. to collapse or cause to collapse emotionally: to dissolve into tears
  7. to lose or cause to lose distinctness or clarity
  8. (transitive) to terminate legally, as a marriage, etc
  9. (intransitive) to fade out one scene and replace with another to make two scenes merge imperceptibly (fast dissolve) or slowly overlap (slow dissolve) over a period of about three or four seconds
  1. a scene filmed or televised by dissolving
Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin dissolvere to make loose, from dis-1 + solvere to releasedisˈsolvable
'dissolve' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Forum discussions with the word(s) "dissolve" in the title:


Look up "dissolve" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "dissolve" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!