intersperse

American  

[in-ter-spurs] / ˌɪn tərˈspɜrs /

verb (used with object)

interspersed, interspersing

1. to scatter here and there or place at intervals among other things.

   to intersperse flowers among shrubs.

   Synonyms:

   sprinkle, strew

2. to diversify with something placed or scattered at intervals.

   to intersperse a dull speech with interesting anecdotes.

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intersperse British  

/ ˌɪntəˈspɜːs, ˌɪntəˈspɜːsɪdlɪ, ˌɪntəˈspɜːʃən /

verb

1. to scatter or distribute among, between, or on

2. to diversify (something) with other things scattered here and there

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Other Word Forms

• interspersal
  noun
• interspersedly
  adverb
• interspersion
  noun
• uninterspersed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of intersperse

1560–70; < Latin interspersus (past participle of interspergere to strew here and there), equivalent to inter- inter- + -spersus, combining form of sparsus, past participle of spargere to scatter; see disperse

Explanation

When you intersperse something, you scatter it with spaces in between, the way you intersperse vegetable seeds along a row in a garden bed. A wallpaper pattern might intersperse polka dots with bright flowers, and a writer might intersperse colorful details throughout an essay on the sword fishing industry. If you place things here and there, at intervals or leaving room between each item, you intersperse them. The Latin root is interspersus, "strewn or scattered," and in the mid-1500s the word intersperse was used mostly to mean "diversify by introducing things at intervals."

Example Sentences

While Hartman believes it’s best to intersperse the music between races, it’s not the only way to do things.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2024

“Each year we sell some of these bison to intersperse their genetics with those of other herds to improve the health of the species’ population across the nation,” Noem said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2023

In the fall of 2023, the museum will intersperse about a dozen of Hendricks’s portraits among its own holdings in an exhibition at its temporary home, Frick Madison.

From New York Times • Jul. 13, 2022

The same holds true for Peloton’s bootcamp classes, which intersperse floor exercises with cycling / running.

From The Verge • Jan. 31, 2022

Clothe these deserts with verdure, and intersperse them with rivers and mountains, and forthwith the fertile plains of Hindostan would become a great desert, and its two hundred millions of inhabitants perish.

From Memoirs of Service Afloat, During the War Between the States by Semmes, Raphael

Related Words

• infuse
• pepper
• sprinkle