dispersal
Americannoun
noun
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the act of dispersing or the condition of being dispersed
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the spread of animals, plants, or seeds to new areas
Other Word Forms
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.
He said the dispersal orders often moved people from one area of the city to another, such as Sauchiehall Street.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
About half of the arrests were people who remained on the Peninsula after police issued a dispersal order, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
"Stress essentially leads to sexual reproduction, and when that happens, we can see a massive increase in dispersal distances as animals attempt to colonise new areas due to an increase in competition."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
Amid a global biodiversity crisis, birds -- which play a vital role in pollination, seed dispersal and controlling insect populations -- are one of the fastest declining groups.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Thus, farmers selected from among individual plants on the basis not only of perceptible qualities like size and taste, but also of invisible features like seed dispersal mechanisms, germination inhibition, and reproductive biology.
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.
