dissolve

dissolve — verb

1. When a solid substance is placed in a liquid and combines with it, the particles

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

When a solid substance is placed in a liquid and combines with it, the particles spread evenly through the liquid until they can no longer be seen separately; or to cause a solid to combine with a liquid in this way by stirring or heating.

Example

Minho stirred the sugar cube into his hot coffee until it dissolved completely.

collocation: dissolve completely

The pharmacist showed the trainee how aspirin dissolves more quickly in warm water.

intransitive: dissolve in + liquid

Common collocations
  • dissolve completely
  • dissolve quickly
  • dissolve in water
  • dissolve into solution
  • dissolve sugar / salt / powder / tablet
Synonyms
  • liquefy

    more technical; means 'turn into liquid' by any method, not necessarily in a solvent

  • melt

    uses heat, not a liquid solvent; ice melts, sugar dissolves

  • break down

    more general; can mean decompose or separate into parts, not necessarily in liquid

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

dissolve + object + in + liquid

dissolve in + liquid

dissolve + adverb

Usage Note

Can be transitive (she dissolved the tablet) or intransitive (the tablet dissolved). When intransitive, the subject is the solid and the liquid appears in an 'in' phrase.

Common Mistakes

I dissolved the water into the salt.
I dissolved the salt in the water.
The solid dissolves; the liquid is the medium, not the object.
The oil dissolved in the vinegar.
The oil floated on the vinegar.
'dissolve' only works when the solid truly mixes at the molecular level; oil and vinegar do not dissolve.

2. To officially bring an end to a formal organization, institution, or legal relat

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

To officially bring an end to a formal organization, institution, or legal relationship, so that it no longer exists as a legal entity.

Example

The board of directors voted to dissolve the charity after the financial scandal.

transitive: dissolve + organization

Their business partnership was dissolved by mutual agreement last December.

passive: was dissolved by + agent

Common collocations
  • dissolve a company
  • dissolve a partnership
  • dissolve a marriage
  • dissolve parliament
  • dissolve by mutual agreement
  • dissolve by court order
Synonyms
  • terminate

    slightly broader; can end contracts, not just organizations

  • disband

    usually for groups of people (a team, a club); less formal than 'dissolve'

  • annul

    declares something invalid from the start, often used for marriages

Antonyms
  • establish

    to set up or create an organization

  • form

    to bring into existence

Grammar Patterns

dissolve + organization

be dissolved

dissolve + partnership / marriage / parliament

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive voice. The subject must be a formal legal entity — company, parliament, marriage, partnership — never informal groups like 'a team' or 'a club'.

Common Mistakes

The team dissolved after losing the game.
The team broke up after losing the game.
'dissolve' is for formally constituted organizations, not casual groups.
We dissolved our friendship.
We ended our friendship.
Friendships are not legal entities; 'dissolve' is too formal and legal.

3. To slowly cease to be visible or present, as if fading away or breaking apart in

3.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

To slowly cease to be visible or present, as if fading away or breaking apart into nothing, often used for mist, emotions, doubts, or crowds.

Example

The morning mist dissolved as the summer sun climbed above the hills.

intransitive: subject = natural phenomenon (mist)

Nora's worries dissolved when she heard the doctor's reassuring words.

intransitive: subject = emotion (worries)

Common collocations
  • dissolve into the darkness
  • dissolve into tears
  • dissolve into laughter
  • doubts dissolve
  • anger dissolves
  • mist dissolves
Synonyms
  • fade

    suggests becoming less bright or intense, often used for light, sound, or memory

  • disperse

    suggests things moving apart in different directions, like a crowd

  • evaporate

    suggests disappearance as if turning to vapour; can be sudden or gradual

Antonyms
  • appear

    to come into view

  • gather

    to come together, opposite of disperse

Grammar Patterns

dissolve + adverb/preposition

dissolve into + noun

Usage Note

Subject is usually an intangible thing — emotions, mist, doubt, a crowd — that fades gradually. Cannot be used for objects that disappear suddenly or are physically removed.

Common Mistakes

The cat dissolved into the garden.
The cat disappeared into the garden.
'dissolve' is for gradual fading, not sudden disappearance of a physical being.
Her anger dissolved instantly.
Her anger dissolved gradually over time.
'dissolve' implies a slow, natural process, not instant change.

dissolve — noun

Word family

  • dissolution
    nounC1
  • dissolvable
    adjectiveB2
  • dissolved
    adjectiveB1
  • dissolving
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe a substance changing state, but they differ in method. 'Dissolve' is the only one that requires a liquid solvent — the solid mixes with the liquid at a molecular level, forming a solution. 'Melt' uses heat alone: a solid becomes liquid because of temperature, not because of another substance. Ice melts on a warm day; sugar dissolves in tea. 'Liquefy' is a broader, more technical term for turning something into a liquid by any method — melting, dissolving, or chemical reaction. 'Fuse' involves joining two or more substances by melting them together, often with heat, creating a single combined material. For everyday use: stir salt into water and it dissolves; hold butter near heat and it melts; apply intense heat to metals and they may fuse.

dissolve ↗melt ↗liquefyfuse ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • dissolve in water
  • dissolve by mutual agreement
  • dissolve into thin air
  • dissolve in tears

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'dissolvere' — 'dis-' meaning 'apart' and 'solvere' meaning 'to loosen or release'. The word entered English through Old French 'dissoudre' in the 1300s. Its original meaning was 'to loosen or break apart', and over time it developed the chemical sense (mixing solids into liquids, 1300s), the legal sense (ending organizations, 1400s), and the cinematic sense (transition between shots, 1900s).