dissolve

/dɪˈzɒlv/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈzɑːlv/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈzälv -ˈzȯlv also -ˈzäv or -ˈzȯv/ (ame, mw)

dissolve — 動詞

  • dissolvepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • dissolveshe / she / it
  • dissolvedpast simple
  • dissolving-ing form

1. to make a solid substance mix completely into a liquid so that no visible pieces

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

溶解；溶化

使固體混入液體中

to make a solid substance mix completely into a liquid so that no visible pieces remain — for example, stirring sugar into coffee or adding salt to hot water until it disappears.

例句

Wei dissolved a spoonful of honey in his tea by stirring it gently.

Wei 將一匙蜂蜜溶解在茶裡，輕輕攪拌。

dissolve + object + in + liquid (solid in liquid)

Jack dissolved the white tablet in warm water and waited for it to stop fizzing.

Jack 將白色藥片溶解在溫水裡，等待它不再冒泡。

同義詞
  • melt

    implies heat, not just mixing into a liquid

  • liquefy

    more technical; describes turning solid into liquid by any means

  • mix in

    informal, does not imply full molecular integration

反義詞

文法句型

dissolve + object + in + liquid

用法筆記

The object must be a solid substance; the liquid is usually introduced with the preposition 'in'. Frequently used in imperative mood in recipes ('Dissolve the yeast in warm milk').

常見錯誤

❌The salt dissolved in the water' (intransitive for a transitive action).
✅I dissolved the salt in the water.
💡sense 1 takes a direct object (you do it to something); use sense 2 when no object follows.

2. when a solid substance mixes into a liquid on its own or becomes liquid, breakin

2.動詞不及物B1
釋義

溶解

固體自行溶入液體

when a solid substance mixes into a liquid on its own or becomes liquid, breaking apart until no visible pieces remain — for example, ice cubes melting in a warm drink or instant coffee granules disappearing in hot water.

例句

The sugar cube dissolved slowly in Deepa's iced tea without anyone stirring it.

方糖在 Deepa 的冰茶裡慢慢溶解，沒有人攪拌。

intransitive: [solid] + dissolve in + [liquid]

Snow on the pavement dissolved as soon as the morning sun hit the concrete.

人行道上的雪在早晨陽光照到水泥地時就溶解了。

同義詞
  • melt

    specifically of solids turning liquid from heat, not necessarily mixing

  • liquefy

    technical; becoming liquid without necessarily mixing into another substance

反義詞

文法句型

dissolve + (in/into) + liquid

用法筆記

Frequently followed by 'in' (the liquid) or 'into' (the resulting mixture). Unlike sense 1, no direct object is present — the solid dissolves by itself or due to an external force not stated as the subject.

常見錯誤

❌The powder was dissolved' (vague — agent unclear).
✅The powder dissolved into the sauce.
💡this intransitive sense does not use a passive form; use sense 1 if you want 'I dissolved the powder'.

3. to officially end an organisation, agreement, contract, marriage, or law-making

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

解散；終止

依法終止組織或合約

to officially end an organisation, agreement, contract, marriage, or law-making body so that it no longer exists legally — for example, a government ending a parliament before an election or a couple ending their marriage through a legal process.

例句

The prime minister asked the president to dissolve the parliament and call a snap general election.

首相請總統解散國會並召開提前大選。

dissolve + parliament (political context)

After eight years of conflict, the two companies agreed to dissolve their partnership and split the assets.

經過八年的衝突，兩家公司同意解散合作關係並分割資產。

同義詞
  • terminate

    broader; can apply to any agreement or process

  • annul

    declares something never valid, not just ended

  • disband

    specifically of groups of people, not contracts

反義詞
  • establish

    set up an institution or organisation

  • form

    create a group or partnership

文法句型

dissolve + [institution/agreement]

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person or body with legal authority. Object must be an abstract institution (marriage, parliament, company, contract, committee), never a concrete object. Commonly used in formal written English, especially legal and political documents.

常見錯誤

❌The company was dissolved by bankruptcy.' (correct but ambiguous).
✅The shareholders voted to dissolve the company.
💡'dissolve' in this sense is a deliberate legal act, not a passive result of failure.

4. when a group of people, a crowd, or an organised body gradually breaks apart and

4.動詞不及物B2
釋義

消散；瓦解

群體或現象逐漸散去

when a group of people, a crowd, or an organised body gradually breaks apart and goes its separate ways — for example, protesters leaving a square after a rally or a committee ending its meeting.

例句

The crowd of supporters dissolved slowly after the candidate finished her speech and walked off stage.

支持者的人群在候選人說完話走下舞台後慢慢消散。

[crowd/group] + dissolve (disperse meaning)

When the final bell rang, the circle of students dissolved and everyone headed to their classrooms.

最後下課鈴一響，學生圈就解散了，大家往各自的教室走去。

同義詞
  • disperse

    more active — often implies an external force scattering people

  • scatter

    less formal; suggests movement in many directions

  • break up

    informal phrasal verb for groups parting

反義詞

文法句型

[group] + dissolve

用法筆記

Often followed by 'into' to specify what the group becomes after breaking apart. Can also describe physical phenomena (fog, clouds) that fade and scatter. Distinguish from sense 3: sense 3 is a deliberate legal act; sense 4 is spontaneous or gradual dispersal.

常見錯誤

❌The police dissolved the crowd.' (sense 4 is intransitive, so the crowd dissolves by itself).
✅The police made the crowd dissolve.' or use sense 3 if authority is involved.

5. to lose control of your emotions and show them openly — for example, suddenly cr

5.動詞不及物B2
釋義

崩潰；忍不住

情緒失控而流露

to lose control of your emotions and show them openly — for example, suddenly crying very hard or laughing uncontrollably after holding back for a while.

例句

When Amara heard the news of her brother's safe return, she dissolved into tears of relief.

Amara 聽到弟弟平安歸來的消息時，忍不住流下釋然的淚水。

dissolve into + tears / laughter (emotion pattern)

The whole comedy club dissolved into laughter when the punchline finally landed.

笑話的妙語一出，整間喜劇俱樂部所有人都笑翻了。

同義詞
  • break down

    suggests losing self-control, often with crying

  • collapse

    implies a sudden physical or emotional giving way

  • lose it

    very informal; losing emotional composure

反義詞

文法句型

dissolve into + [emotion/tears/laughter]

用法筆記

Almost always followed by 'into' plus a noun expressing the emotion (tears, laughter, sobs). Cannot take a direct object. The phrase 'dissolve into tears' is the most common fixed expression in this sense.

常見錯誤

❌She dissolved tears' (missing preposition 'into').
✅She dissolved into tears.
💡'dissolve' in this sense requires 'into' to introduce the emotion.

6. when one filmed scene gradually fades out while another scene fades in on top of

6.動詞不及物B1
釋義

淡入淡出；溶接

電影場景間的緩慢轉換

when one filmed scene gradually fades out while another scene fades in on top of it, creating a smooth visual change between two moments in a movie or TV show.

例句

The scene dissolves from the crowded Tokyo train station into a quiet countryside road ten years earlier.

畫面從擁擠的東京車站淡出，轉到十年前安靜的鄉間小路。

[scene] dissolves from [A] into/to [B]

In the director's cut, the kiss dissolves slowly into a shot of falling cherry blossom petals.

在導演的剪輯版本中，那個吻慢慢溶接到飄落的櫻花花瓣畫面。

同義詞
  • fade

    a fade goes to black/white rather than directly into another image

  • cross-fade

    audio equivalent; less common for video

文法句型

[scene] + dissolves + (into/to) + [next scene]

用法筆記

A technical term in film editing. Typically describes the transition itself (intransitive) rather than the editor's action. For the transitive use by the editor or director, see the noun sense 'film dissolve'. Frequently followed by 'from' (starting scene) and 'into/to' (ending scene).

常見錯誤

❌The director dissolved the scene.' (correct but uncommon).
✅The scene dissolves into a flashback.
💡the intransitive form is more common in film descriptions.

7. to break the physical or chemical connection that holds two things together, cau

7.動詞及物C1
釋義

鬆開；解除

破壞黏合使物品分離

to break the physical or chemical connection that holds two things together, causing them to separate — for example, using a solvent to loosen glue or a chemical process to break molecular bonds.

例句

The technician used acetone to dissolve the adhesive that held the phone screen to the frame.

技術人員用丙酮溶解了將手機螢幕黏在框上的膠水。

dissolve + [adhesive/bond] with chemical agent

Over time, the acid rain dissolved the mortar between the old bricks and left gaps in the wall.

隨著時間推移，酸雨溶解了舊磚塊之間的水泥砂漿，在牆上留下縫隙。

同義詞
  • loosen

    less forceful; may not fully separate

  • unglue

    informal; specific to glue

  • separate

    general term for moving things apart

反義詞
  • bond

    join things together

  • fix

    attach firmly

文法句型

dissolve + [bond/connection]

用法筆記

Less common than sense 1. Focuses on severing a bond (chemical or physical adhesion) rather than mixing a solid into a liquid. Often used in craft, dentistry, chemistry, and DIY contexts. The object is typically a bonding agent (glue, cement, solder) rather than the bonded objects themselves.

常見錯誤

❌I dissolved the two glued pieces.' (misplaced object).
✅I dissolved the glue holding the two pieces together.
💡dissolve the bonding substance, not the bonded objects.

8. to make a mystery, doubt, or confusing situation go away by finding an explanati

8.動詞及物C1
釋義

消除；釐清

透過解答使疑惑消失

to make a mystery, doubt, or confusing situation go away by finding an explanation or answer that resolves it completely — for example, new evidence that removes all suspicion about a crime.

例句

The security footage dissolved all doubts about who had entered the building that night.

監視器畫面消除了當晚誰進入大樓的所有疑問。

dissolve + [doubt/mystery/suspicion] (make disappear)

Gabriela's careful research dissolved the mystery surrounding the old painting's origin.

Gabriela 仔細的研究解開了那幅古老畫作出處的謎團。

同義詞
  • clear up

    less formal; making something understandable

  • resolve

    find a solution without the vanishing metaphor

  • dispel

    formal; chase away doubts or fears

反義詞

文法句型

dissolve + [mystery/doubt/question]

用法筆記

Literary or formal register. Subject is often an abstract thing (evidence, explanation, apology) rather than a person. Object must be an abstract concept (doubt, mystery, confusion, suspicion, fear) — never a concrete object. This sense overlaps with 'clear up' or 'resolve' but carries a stronger image of something vanishing completely.

常見錯誤

❌The detective dissolved the case.' (sounds odd).
✅The detective's discovery dissolved the mystery.
💡the discovery (not the person) is the subject; the object is an abstract doubt, not a whole case.

dissolve — 名詞