disperse
Americanverb (used with object)
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disperses,
present (3rd person singular)
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dispersed,
past participle, past
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dispersing
present participle
-
to drive or send off in various directions; scatter.
to disperse a crowd.
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to spread widely; disseminate.
to disperse knowledge.
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to dispel; cause to vanish.
The wind dispersed the fog.
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Physical Chemistry. to cause (particles) to separate uniformly throughout a solid, liquid, or gas.
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Optics. to subject (light) to dispersion.
verb (used without object)
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disperses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dispersed,
past participle, past
-
dispersing
present participle
adjective
verb
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to scatter; distribute over a wide area
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to dissipate or cause to dissipate
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to leave or cause to leave a gathering, often in a random manner
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to separate or be separated by dispersion
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(tr) to diffuse or spread (news, information, etc)
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to separate (particles) throughout a solid, liquid, or gas, as in the formation of a suspension or colloid
adjective
Synonym Usage
See scatter.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dispersernoun
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dispersibilitynoun
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redisperseverb
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predisperseverb (used with object)
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dispersibleadjective
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undispersedadjective
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undispersingadjective
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well-dispersedadjective
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dispersedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dispersesimple
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dispersessimple
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have dispersedperfect
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has dispersedperfect
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am dispersingprogressive
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are dispersingprogressive
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is dispersingprogressive
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have been dispersingperfect progressive
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has been dispersingperfect progressive
Past
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dispersedsimple
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had dispersedperfect
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was dispersingprogressive
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were dispersingprogressive
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had been dispersingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
To make a crowd at a party disperse, you could take away the food, turn off the music and ask for volunteers to clean up. Disperse is to spread out people or things, making them move in different directions. Imagine yourself standing on a basketball court holding a cup packed tight with marbles. If you turn it over, the marbles will disperse across the floor, moving away from you in all directions. Another word for this is scatter. Don't confuse this word with disburse, which means to distribute money. Remember that false friends disperse when you cease to disburse.
Vocabulary lists containing disperse
Fahrenheit 451
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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All American Boys
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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.
See Examples For:
A police officer told AFP that police fired shots into the air to disperse a crowd in Bara, a town in the province's western Khyber district, and five people were detained as dozens protested there.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
The crowd began to disperse at about 21:45 BST after they learned of the charges against Thomas.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Patalano said Iran’s proximity to the strait and the ability to disperse small boats, mines and other weapons along its coast make it difficult to eliminate the threat entirely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Astronomers estimate that the Lion Nebula will eventually disperse in approximately 10,000 years.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
The last wisps of smoke dissipate, the crowd begins to disperse.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
"Get them out the way, that group disperses."
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The heat is affecting how air pollution disperses over the region, National Weather Service meteorologist Carol Ciliberti said Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
But as tech talent disperses to the likes of Austin, Texas, that reason may become less important.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
The dung beetle, which disperses seeds as it rolls its dung balls, fertilizing topsoil and enhancing biodiversity and engineering its environment, normally orients itself using the Milky Way and the moon.
From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2025
The crowd disperses, moving from the big top to the parking lot and beyond, to the edges of the town.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
The university and Cefas said nurdles were "likely to have dispersed beyond the Tyne estuary out into the North Sea".
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The dispersed ash eventually settles out of the atmosphere, permitting the Sun’s rays to shine fully on the surface again – reviving agriculture and ecosystems.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
The knowledge behind artificial intelligence is widely dispersed.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Financial institutions invested heavily in geographically dispersed operations, redundant technology, resilient communications, crisis management and recovery planning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
In his pocket was a roll of cash that he quickly dispersed to beggars, an act that Farmer didn’t find objectionable but which he nonetheless deemed insufficient.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
"Not only were the galaxies producing these elements, but they were also dispersing them, possibly seeding other galaxies."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
She told the BBC her school wrapped up its aid programme in April, but continued dispersing remaining funds.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The sheriff, he added, would much rather have deputies “keeping an eye on 6,000 workers in one area than dispersing them throughout the communities.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
“Her travel patterns continue to demonstrate the unpredictable movements of a dispersing wolf seeking a mate and territory of its own,” John Marchwick, of the educational group California Wolf Watch, said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Evergreen branches flared at random, dispersing their piney aroma.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
