dispersal
Americannoun
noun
-
the act of dispersing or the condition of being dispersed
-
the spread of animals, plants, or seeds to new areas
Other Word Forms
- nondispersal noun
- redispersal noun
Etymology
Origin of dispersal
Explanation
Dispersal is the act of spreading something around. This could be positive (like a dispersal of money) or negative (like a dispersal of a crowd because of a bomb). If you know that dispersing is when something spreads out or separates, then you have a headstart to understanding dispersal. Dispersal causes something to be diffused or disseminated, like the dispersal of seeds in a garden. A strong wind could cause the dispersal of someone’s homework. A tear gas bomb causes the dispersal of tear gas, which in turn will cause the dispersal of a crowd. Anytime something is spreading out or becoming widespread, there's a dispersal at play.
Vocabulary lists containing dispersal
Academic Vocabulary, Literary Terms, and Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 5
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Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 4)
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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.
Officers were called to Clapham High Street on Tuesday evening and put a dispersal order in place to move the young people out of the area.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
"This is largely because oil floats, so the dispersal of oil remains on the surface and doesn't really interact with corals except in the most shallow areas," Burt said.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
Police Department issuing a dispersal order at about 6:30 p.m., according to City News Service.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026
On average, mosses now begin releasing spores about four weeks earlier than they did in 1990, and the peak of spore dispersal arrives roughly six weeks sooner.
From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2025
Other variation, such as that in seed dispersal mechanisms or seed dormancy, would have gone unrecognized by humans before the rise of modern botany.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
