Home/USA Today Rootonym/To alleviate; to send off or drive away; to scatter; to cause to vanish (verb)
To alleviate; to send off or drive away; to scatter; to cause to vanish (verb)
Looking for the answer to the USA Today Rootonym clue “To alleviate; to send off or drive away; to scatter; to cause to vanish (verb)”? The solution is DISPEL, a 6-letter word built on the root PEL (“drive, urge”). It appeared in the July 2, 2026 (Thursday) USA Today Rootonym. See the full puzzle for that day's other words.
Answer
DISPEL
***PELPELmeans “drive, urge”
In a sentence
Bob did DISPEL Gail's anxiety over the water heater leak by repairing it.
About this clue
The Rootonym clue “To alleviate; to send off or drive away; to scatter; to cause to vanish (verb)” has the answer DISPEL (6 letters), built on the root PEL, which means “drive, urge”. Browse the full July 2, 2026 Rootonym puzzle for the other three words, or see all Rootonym answers.