exorcise
verb
ex·or·cise ˈek-ˌsȯr-ˌsīz 
-sər-
variants or less commonly exorcize
exorcised also exorcized; exorcising also exorcizing
transitive verb
1
a
: to expel (an evil spirit) by adjuration
b
: to get rid of (something troublesome, menacing, or oppressive)
2
: to free of an evil spirit
exorciser noun
Synonyms
- cashier
- cast (off)
- chuck
- deep-six
- discard
- ditch
- dump
- eighty-six
- 86
- fling (off or away)
- jettison
- junk
- lay by
- lose
- pitch
- reject
- scrap
- shed
- shuck (off)
- slough (off)
- sluff (off)
- throw away
- throw out
- toss
- unload
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The movie is about a priest who tries to exorcise demons from a young girl. please exorcise that offensive word from your vocabulary
Recent Examples on the Web Hoping to exorcise the trauma that prompted her departure, Destiny becomes a chronicler of her nation’s history and an advocate for its future. 
Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2022 But Cal lingered anyway, keeping it close until that final minute, when Mobley backed down a single Bears defender, determined to exorcise any demons still remaining from the Trojans’ last loss. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2022 Their demise is meant to exorcise their polluting power and symbolize hope for the coming year. Dimitris Xygalatas, The Conversation, 23 June 2022 Nathan Chen's quest to exorcise the Olympic demons from four years ago is now complete. Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2022 In addition to the WJH meetings, Saal has participated in other activities, including leading a writing circle that has helped him exorcise some of his demons. cleveland, 18 Apr. 2022 All this good news helped exorcise the memory of several ugly recent performances. Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2022 Nathan Chen's quest to exorcise the demons from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang is nearly complete. USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2022 Along came Arby’s and a chance to exorcise those demons. Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2022 See More
Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2022 But Cal lingered anyway, keeping it close until that final minute, when Mobley backed down a single Bears defender, determined to exorcise any demons still remaining from the Trojans’ last loss. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2022 Their demise is meant to exorcise their polluting power and symbolize hope for the coming year. Dimitris Xygalatas, The Conversation, 23 June 2022 Nathan Chen's quest to exorcise the Olympic demons from four years ago is now complete. Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2022 In addition to the WJH meetings, Saal has participated in other activities, including leading a writing circle that has helped him exorcise some of his demons. cleveland, 18 Apr. 2022 All this good news helped exorcise the memory of several ugly recent performances. Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2022 Nathan Chen's quest to exorcise the demons from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang is nearly complete. USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2022 Along came Arby’s and a chance to exorcise those demons. Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French exorciscer, from Late Latin exorcizare, from Greek exorkizein, from ex- + horkizein to bind by oath, adjure, from horkos oath
First Known Use
1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
exorcising
verb
variants also exorcizing
as in discarding
to get rid of as useless or unwanted please exorcise that offensive word from your vocabulary Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- discarding
- eliminating
- dumping
- jettisoning
- removing
- eradicating
- shedding
- ditching
- unloading
- losing
- rejecting
- tossing
- chucking
- scrapping
- junking
- disposing of
- cashiering
- throwing away
- forsaking
- dismissing
- eighty-sixing
- deep-sixing
- laying by
- pitching
- expunging
- setting aside
- abandoning
- throwing out
- 86ing
- abdicating
- exterminating
- sluffing (off)
- extirpating
- casting (off)
- extinguishing
- annihilating
- abolishing
- shucking (off)
- sloughing (off)
- flinging (off or away)
- deserting
- liquidating
- kicking out
- wiping out
- stamping (out)
- rooting (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- embracing
- adopting
- using
- employing
- utilizing
- retaining
- holding
- keeping
- taking on
- holding back