disperse
Americanverb (used with object)
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disperses,
present (3rd person singular)
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dispersed,
past participle, past
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dispersing
present participle
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to drive or send off in various directions; scatter.
to disperse a crowd.
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to spread widely; disseminate.
to disperse knowledge.
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to dispel; cause to vanish.
The wind dispersed the fog.
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Physical Chemistry. to cause (particles) to separate uniformly throughout a solid, liquid, or gas.
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Optics. to subject (light) to dispersion.
verb (used without object)
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disperses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dispersed,
past participle, past
-
dispersing
present participle
adjective
verb
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to scatter; distribute over a wide area
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to dissipate or cause to dissipate
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to leave or cause to leave a gathering, often in a random manner
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to separate or be separated by dispersion
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(tr) to diffuse or spread (news, information, etc)
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to separate (particles) throughout a solid, liquid, or gas, as in the formation of a suspension or colloid
adjective
Synonym Usage
See scatter.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dispersernoun
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dispersibilitynoun
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redisperseverb
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predisperseverb (used with object)
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dispersibleadjective
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undispersedadjective
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undispersingadjective
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well-dispersedadjective
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dispersedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dispersesimple
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dispersessimple
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have dispersedperfect
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has dispersedperfect
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am dispersingprogressive
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are dispersingprogressive
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is dispersingprogressive
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have been dispersingperfect progressive
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has been dispersingperfect progressive
Past
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dispersedsimple
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had dispersedperfect
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was dispersingprogressive
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were dispersingprogressive
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had been dispersingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
To make a crowd at a party disperse, you could take away the food, turn off the music and ask for volunteers to clean up. Disperse is to spread out people or things, making them move in different directions. Imagine yourself standing on a basketball court holding a cup packed tight with marbles. If you turn it over, the marbles will disperse across the floor, moving away from you in all directions. Another word for this is scatter. Don't confuse this word with disburse, which means to distribute money. Remember that false friends disperse when you cease to disburse.
Vocabulary lists containing disperse
Fahrenheit 451
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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All American Boys
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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.
See Examples For:
Despite police efforts to disperse them, large crowds remain at the site.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Finally, the U.S. needs to disperse facilities, such as naval and air bases, to make it more difficult for adversaries to attack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
According to the Associated Press, Berlin police used water cannons — normally used to disperse protesters — to cool down cheering crowds in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
An AFP photographer saw law enforcement use stun grenades to try disperse the crowds near Madison Square Garden.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
All this happened in about the time that it would take a sixpenny rocket to start off with its fiery swish, bend down from its climax and disperse itself in thunder and coloured stars.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
But as tech talent disperses to the likes of Austin, Texas, that reason may become less important.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
The Eye Spa machine uses a “cold mist atomization process,” Xie said, “that disperses micro-particles of moisture combined with soothing essential oils.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
Simple things like the way your body disperses fat, aging, or skin laxity can create asymmetry.
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2026
For the first time, this proves it is possible to study pollution from re-entering rockets at such heights before it disperses, the scientists said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
The circle of men disperses, muttering disappointment; they were promised a fight.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Cartridges fixed on the aircraft's wings contain a substance that, when dispersed, sticks to cloud droplets, making them heavy enough to fall as rain.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Upon their arrival, the troops dispersed the Israeli civilians and allowed the vehicles to continue on their way,” it said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Rather than modifying the ink with surfactants or chemically altering the particles, they dispersed nanoscale ultra fine bubbles throughout the liquid.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
No other injuries were reported from the incident and the group dispersed, with the road re-opening from around 01:00 BST, the Met said.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
In the tenth year we sacked the inner city, Priam’s town, and sailed for home; but heaven dispersed the Akhaians.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
The rotating forces improved their performance, as they became more adept at dispersing and concealing themselves and using electronic warfare, said the Army official.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Rather than dispersing evenly in every direction, heat can follow routes determined by the structure of a crystal.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Police officers on horseback have been dispersing crowds trying to gather along Nairobi streets.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Her travel patterns continue to demonstrate the unpredictable movements of a dispersing wolf seeking a mate and territory of its own,” John Marchwick, of the educational group California Wolf Watch, said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
“They’re not dispersing them, Thomas. They’re trapping them in.”
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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.
