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disperse

[ dih-spurs ]
/ dɪˈspɜrs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR disperse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), dis·persed, dis·pers·ing.

verb (used without object), dis·persed, dis·pers·ing.

to separate and move apart in different directions without order or regularity; become scattered: The crowd dispersed.
to be dispelled; be scattered out of sight; vanish: The smoke dispersed into the sky.

adjective

Physical Chemistry. noting the dispersed particles in a dispersion.

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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

synonym study for disperse

1. See scatter.

OTHER WORDS FROM disperse

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH disperse

disperse , disburse

Words nearby disperse

dispermy, dispersal, dispersal prison, dispersal zone, dispersant, disperse, disperse dye, disperse phase, disperse system, dispersion, dispersion hardening
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to disperse

break up, dispel, separate, dissolve, diffuse, dislodge, spray, spread, dissipate, disband, discharge, vanish, scatter, disappear, circulate, shed, dismiss, deal, eject, disseminate

Example sentences from the Web for disperse

British Dictionary definitions for disperse

disperse
/ (dɪˈspɜːs) /

verb

adjective

of or consisting of the particles in a colloid or suspensiondisperse phase

Derived forms of disperse

dispersedly (dɪˈspɜːsɪdlɪ), adverbdisperser, noun

Word Origin for disperse

C14: from Latin dispērsus scattered, from dispergere to scatter widely, from di- ² + spargere to strew

undefined disperse

See disburse
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for disperse

disperse
[ dĭ-spûrs′ ]

v.

To cause to separate and move in different directions; scatter.
To cause to vanish or disappear.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.