disperse

[ dih-spurs ]

/ dɪˈspɜrs /

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

to drive or send off in various directions; scatter: to disperse a crowd.

to spread widely; disseminate: to disperse knowledge.

to dispel; cause to vanish: The wind dispersed the fog.

Physical Chemistry. to cause (particles) to separate uniformly throughout a solid, liquid, or gas.

Optics. to subject (light) to dispersion.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of disperse

1350–1400; Middle English dispersen, disparsen (< Middle French disperser) < 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

SYNONYMS FOR disperse

1. See scatter. 2. sow, broadcast. 7. disappear, evanesce.

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ANTONYMS FOR disperse

1. combine, collect.

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Related forms

dis·pers·ed·ly

[dih-spur-sid-lee] /dɪˈspɜr sɪd li/, adverbdis·pers·er, noundis·pers·i·bil·i·ty, noundis·pers·i·ble, adjective

pre·dis·perse, verb (used with object), pre·dis·persed, pre·dis·pers·ing.re·dis·perse, verb, re·dis·persed, re·dis·pers·ing.un·dis·persed, adjectiveun·dis·pers·ing, adjectivewell-dis·persed, adjective

Can be confuseddisperse disbursedisperse dispose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for disperse

At about 11 p.m. State Police started flying a helicopter over the scene, ordering the crowds to disperse.
Frat Culture Clashes With Riot Police at Keene, N.H., Pumpkin Festival|Melanie Plenda|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is a problem, since no traffic police can identify any of the trucks if they start to disperse once they enter Ukraine.
Putin’s “Humanitarian” Convoy Nears Ukraine, APCs Cross in Secret|Anna Nemtsova|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When a big cache of weapons is inbound, rival outfits often gang together to disperse the load among their safe houses.
On the Contraband Trail With Libya’s Gun Smugglers|Peter Schwartzstein|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Instead of car tires, concrete blocks are placed there now, and nobody intends to disperse,” the minister said.
Reality Check in Ukraine|Jamie Dettmer|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The crowd bawls its approval, but begins to disperse after one encore.
Stacks: Hitting the Note with the Allman Brothers Band|Grover Lewis|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The English sent fire ships into the Spanish fleet when it was anchored, causing it's ships to disperse in a panic.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.|S. A. Reilly
The police would have been unable to disperse the mob without the assistance of the citizens.
Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877|Various
Once more, too, it was demonstrated how powerless the best artillery is to disperse resolute and well-placed riflemen.
The Great Boer War|Arthur Conan Doyle
They then immediately break it down, and disperse in different directions.
Gossip in the First Decade of Victoria's Reign|John Ashton
But the "Rump" had enjoyed its two years of power, and had no wish to disperse.
A History of England|Charles Oman

British Dictionary definitions for disperse

disperse

/ (dɪˈspɜːs) /

verb

to scatter; distribute over a wide area

to dissipate or cause to dissipate

to leave or cause to leave a gathering, often in a random manner

to separate or be separated by dispersion

(tr) to diffuse or spread (news, information, etc)

to separate (particles) throughout a solid, liquid, or gas, as in the formation of a suspension or colloid

adjective

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

Derived Formsdispersedly (dɪˈspɜːsɪdlɪ), adverbdisperser, noun

Word Origin for disperse

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

xref

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

Word Origin and History for disperse

disperse

late 14c., from Latin dispersus, past participle of dispergere "to scatter," from dis- "apart, in every direction" (see dis-) + spargere "to scatter" (see sparse). The Latin word is glossed in Old English by tostregdan. Related: Dispersed; dispersing.

Medicine definitions for disperse

disperse

[ dĭ-spûrs′ ]

v.

To cause to separate and move in different directions; scatter.

To cause to vanish or disappear.

disperse

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

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

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of disperse

Examples from the Web for disperse

disperse

verb

adjective

Word Origin for disperse

xref

disperse

disperse

v.