Synonyms for dwell

23 synonyms
2 meanings

verb
noun

Most common

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Inhabit

inhabit, live, reside, remain, abide, settle, rest, sojourn, continue, haunt, ha'nt US, hant US, populate, lodge, endure, persist, stay dated, keep dated, tarry dated, bide dated

2. Lie

lie, consist

Other

harp, brood

Noun

lie-in

Definitions

v. 1
To live; to reside.
v. 2
To linger (on); to remain fixated.
Stop dwelling on the past!
n. 1
A period of time in which a system or component remains in a given state.

Related words

Word family: dweller dwelling
Phrases: dwell time

Forms

Plural: dwells → lie-ins…
Past participle: dwelt
e.g. dwelt → inhabited, lived, resided, remained…

Choose the right word

Dwell, Lodge, Sojourn, Stay, Tarry or Wait?

Lodge, sojourn, stay, tarry, and wait always imply a limited time; lodge, to pass the night; sojourn, to remain temporarily; live, dwell, reside, to have a permanent home.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

remain No visitor can remain in the hospital after 9 p.m.
reside They currently reside in the heart of the city.
abide We all must abide by laws to live in any society.
inhabit Those tribes inhabit the desert all year round.
brood A brood mare is a female horse used for breeding.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
dwell		rising
remain		steady
reside		steady
abide		steady
inhabit		rising
brood		falling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: lie¹
4 letters: keep¹, live¹, stay¹, rest¹, harp¹, bide¹, hant
5 letters: lodge¹, abide², haunt¹, brood¹, tarry²
6 letters: remain², settle², endure², reside²
7 letters: consist², persist², inhabit³, sojourn²
8 letters: continue³, populate³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (abide² = 2 syllables).