disperse

American  

[dih-spurs] / dɪˈspɜrs /

verb (used with object)

dispersed, dispersing

1. to drive or send off in various directions; scatter.

   to disperse a crowd.

   Antonyms:

   collect, combine

2. to spread widely; disseminate.

   to disperse knowledge.

   Synonyms:

   broadcast, sow

3. to dispel; cause to vanish.

   The wind dispersed the fog.

4. Physical Chemistry. to cause (particles) to separate uniformly throughout a solid, liquid, or gas.

5. Optics. to subject (light) to dispersion.

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verb (used without object)

dispersed, dispersing

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

   The crowd dispersed.

2. to be dispelled; be scattered out of sight; vanish.

   The smoke dispersed into the sky.

   Synonyms:

   evanesce, disappear

adjective

1. Physical Chemistry. noting the dispersed particles in a dispersion.

disperse British  

/ dɪˈspɜːsɪdlɪ, dɪˈspɜːs /

verb

1. to scatter; distribute over a wide area

2. to dissipate or cause to dissipate

3. to leave or cause to leave a gathering, often in a random manner

4. to separate or be separated by dispersion

5. (tr) to diffuse or spread (news, information, etc)

6. to separate (particles) throughout a solid, liquid, or gas, as in the formation of a suspension or colloid

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adjective

1. of or consisting of the particles in a colloid or suspension

   disperse phase

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

Authorities said the crowd that gathered at the federal building later in the afternoon, as the rally was winding down, had ignored orders to disperse.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

What are some fair ways for a later-in-life marriage to disperse wealth or plan for end of life?

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

That should help to disperse and wash pollutants away.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Part of what makes air power such a potent tool, she said, is that it prevents enemy forces from being able to concentrate safely, and when the enemy forces disperse, they lose their offensive power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

They kept us underground for more than half an hour, hoping people would disperse.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• break up
• circulate
• diffuse
• disappear
• disband
• discharge
• dislodge
• dispel
• dissipate
• dissolve
• scatter
• separate
• spray
• spread
• vanish