Phrasal verb
dwell on
Meanings
To keep thinking about something, especially something negative, for longer than is helpful.
To talk or write about one point or detail for too long instead of moving on.
Definition
To dwell on something is to keep thinking or talking about it for too long, especially something unpleasant.
If you dwell on something, you focus your attention on it for a long time instead of moving on. It is often used for worries, mistakes, or negative experiences. It can also mean spending too much time on one detail in a discussion.
Examples
- Try not to dwell on what went wrong yesterday.
- She tends to dwell on every small mistake.
- He didn’t dwell on the breakup and focused on work.
- Let’s not dwell on the past; we need a plan.
- The report dwells on minor details and misses the main point.
More phrasal verbs
- boil down to To boil down to means to have something as the main or essential point or result.
- brush aside To brush aside means to dismiss something as unimportant or ignore it.
- get into To get into something means to enter a place or become involved in an activity or situation.
- scatter into To scatter into means to break up and move in different directions into a place or area.
- set off To set off means to start a journey or to cause something to begin suddenly.