The Collaborative International Dictionary
Dwell \Dwell\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dwelled, usually contracted into Dwelt (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dwelling.] [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dv["a]ljas to dwell, Dan. dv[ae]le to linger, and to E. dull. See Dull, and cf. Dwale.]
To delay; to linger. [Obs.]
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To abide; to remain; to continue.
I 'll rather dwell in my necessity.
--Shak.Thy soul was like a star and dwelt apart.
--Wordsworth. -
To abide as a permanent resident, or for a time; to live in a place; to reside.
The parish in which I was born, dwell, and have possessions.
--Peacham.The poor man dwells in a humble cottage near the hall where the lord of the domain resides.
--C. J. Smith.To dwell in, to abide in (a place); hence, to depend on. ``My hopes in heaven to dwell.''
--Shak.To dwell on or To dwell upon, to continue long on or in; to remain absorbed with; to stick to; to make much of; as, to dwell upon a subject; a singer dwells on a note.
They stand at a distance, dwelling on his looks and language, fixed in amazement.
--Buckminster.Syn: To inhabit; live; abide; sojourn; reside; continue; stay; rest.
Usage examples of "to dwell upon".
And as they who have written before us in the Greek or in the Latin tongue against such errors as these have said much concerning this matter, I have thought it unnecessary to dwell upon it.
And so, Gwylly and Black searched woodland, hunting birds, leaving the legends for others to dwell upon.
Since he could do nothing whatever about them, he knew that allowing himself to dwell upon them, with morbid fears, was a form of self-indulgence he could no longer give mental lease.
Most people who daydream of transforming themselves into some vicious beast and going about tearing people's throats out, dismembering them, disfiguring them and perhaps devouring them tend mainly to dwell upon how much fun it would be and generally neglect the practicalities of the situation.
But in any case, they were not things which a healthy mind would want to dwell upon, not if a man desired to sleep soundly.
With no reason to dwell upon the condition of Meander, I continued, ".
And I argued that it would be meaningless for me to dwell upon my death, since such a thought would only bring discomfort and fear.
The concept of such a betrayal was too stunning, too nauseating, to dwell upon.