1. To delay; to linger. [Obs.] 2. To abide; to remain; to continue. I 'll rather dwell in my necessity. Shak. Thy soul was like a star and dwelt apart. Wordsworth. 3. 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 ...