dispersal

[dih-spur-suhl]

noun

1. dispersion.

dispersal

/ dɪˈspɜːsəl /

noun

1. the act of dispersing or the condition of being dispersed

2. the spread of animals, plants, or seeds to new areas

Other Word Forms

• nondispersal noun
• redispersal noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dispersal¹

First recorded in 1815–25; disperse + -al ²

Example Sentences

The latest Home Office statistics, as of June 2025, show that 2,228 people were housed in what is called "dispersal" accommodation.

From BBC

A teenager has now been charged with 22 offences, including assault, theft, arson, criminal damage, breaching a dispersal order and racially aggravated harassment.

From BBC

A further 74,016 were in taxpayer-funded housing, the majority of it so-called "dispersal" accommodation, such as rented flats, which is more long-term.

From BBC

Another 66,000 were housed in taxpayer-funded "dispersal" accommodation - which includes HMOs - according to analysis of Home Office figures by the Migration Observatory an independent research centre at University of Oxford.

From BBC

"The advice we're getting is other things, such as dispersal orders, are more appropriate for the kind of disorder that happened in areas like Sighthill," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• diffusion 
• dispersion 
• dissemination 
• scattering