disperse

American

[dih-spurs] / dɪˈspɜrs /

verb (used with object)

dispersed, dispersing

to drive or send off in various directions; scatter.

to disperse a crowd.

Antonyms:

collect , combine
to spread widely; disseminate.

to disperse knowledge.

Synonyms:

broadcast , sow
to dispel; cause to vanish.

The wind dispersed the fog.
Physical Chemistry. to cause (particles) to separate uniformly throughout a solid, liquid, or gas.
Optics. to subject (light) to dispersion.

verb (used without object)

dispersed, dispersing

to separate and move apart in different directions without order or regularity; become scattered.

The crowd dispersed.
to be dispelled; be scattered out of sight; vanish.

The smoke dispersed into the sky.

Synonyms:

evanesce , disappear

adjective

Physical Chemistry. noting the dispersed particles in a dispersion.

disperse British

/ dɪˈspɜːsɪdlɪ, dɪˈspɜːs /

verb

to scatter; distribute over a wide area
to dissipate or cause to dissipate
to leave or cause to leave a gathering, often in a random manner
to separate or be separated by dispersion
(tr) to diffuse or spread (news, information, etc)
to separate (particles) throughout a solid, liquid, or gas, as in the formation of a suspension or colloid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

of or consisting of the particles in a colloid or suspension

disperse phase

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See scatter.

Other Word Forms

dispersedly adverb
disperser noun
dispersibility noun
dispersible adjective
predisperse verb (used with object)
redisperse verb
undispersed adjective
undispersing adjective
well-dispersed adjective

Etymology

Origin of disperse

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English dispersen, disparsen (from Middle French disperser, ) from Latin dispersus (past participle of dispergere ), equivalent to di- di- ² + -sper(g)- “scatter” (stem of -spergere, combining form of spargere “to scatter, strew”) + -sus past participle suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Unemployed WWI veterans marched on Washington in 1932 to demand bonuses, only to have their encampments dispersed with tanks and tear gas.

From The Wall Street Journal

Officers asked the group to disperse and multiple people were taken into custody after declining to do so, police said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hostile architecture and novel ways of trying to disperse homeless people have become somewhat common in L.A. in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times

By identifying broad principles that influence how populations concentrate and disperse, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of urban evolution across different eras and environments.

From Science Daily

Founded in 2007, Zion Church represents a particular concern for Chinese officials because of its dispersed presence in many cities, its online prayer groups and its members’ connections to Western Christians.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023