v.
Pronunciation: ' di-s ə - ˌ p ā t
Function: verb
Inflected Form: -pat · ed ; -pat · ing
Etymology: Latin dissipatus, past participle of dissipare, dissupare, from dis- + supare to throw
Date: 15th century
transitive verb
1 a : to break up and drive off (as a crowd) b : to cause to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish <one's sympathy is eventually dissipated ― Andrew Feinberg> c : to lose (as heat or electricity) irrecoverably
2 : to spend or use up wastefully or foolishly < dissipated the family fortune in reckless business ventures>
intransitive verb
1 : to break up and scatter or vanish <the clouds soon dissipated > <the team's early momentum has dissipated >
2 : to be extravagant or dissolute in the pursuit of pleasure especially : to drink to excess
synonyms see SCATTER
– dis · si · pat · er noun