disperse

[dih-spurs]

See more synonyms for disperse on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

Related formsdis·pers·ed·ly

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

Synonyms for disperse

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

Antonyms for disperse

1. combine, collect.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for dispersing

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

Examples from the Web for dispersing

Contemporary Examples of dispersing

The new government would have no more success in dispersing the Euromaidan “Security Patrol” than the Yanukovych government did.
Is Ukraine Headed For Civil War?
Will Cathcart
February 25, 2014
The solution of dispersing the remedy in a giant cloud above the city is exactly from The Amazing Spider-Man.
Krrish 3 Review: What the Bollywood Movie Steals From Superhero Films
Sujay Kumar
November 6, 2013
Security sources say the children provide a serious logistical challenge to their efforts at dispersing the sit-in.
Children Swarm Cairo’s Rabaa Sit-In
Mike Giglio
August 13, 2013
This time, instead of dispersing the crowd, the police response swelled its ranks exponentially.
As Police Cede Taksim Square, Istanbul Remains On Edge
Mike Giglio
June 2, 2013
They walked in silence until we came to Broadway, where a dozen or so police officers were dispersing a crowd of some sort.
Encounters With Thomas Pynchon
Nick Romeo
October 5, 2011

Historical Examples of dispersing

Constance asked of Arthur later, when they were dispersing to their several occupations.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
Her departure was the signal for the dispersing of the party to their respective couches.
The Strollers
Frederic S. Isham
The outer door had not closed before the tune of which he had spoken was dispersing it.
The Paliser case
Edgar Saltus
This had the desired effect of clearing the street and of dispersing the rioters.
Policing the Plains
R.G. MacBeth
The darkness is dispersing; the skies of the future are red with the coming day.
Glances at Europe
Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for dispersing

disperse

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 dispersing

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.

dispersing in Medicine

disperse

[dĭ-spûrs′]

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