disperse Definition
dis·perse (di spʉrs′)
transitive verb -·persed′, -·pers′·ing
- to break up and scatter in all directions; spread about; distribute widely
- to dispel (mist, etc.)
- to break up (light) into its component colored rays
Etymology: ME dispersen < L dispersus, pp. of dispergere, to scatter abroad < dis-, out + spargere, to scatter, strew: see spark
intransitive verb
to break up and move in different directions; scatter
disperse Related Forms
disperse Synonyms
disperse Usage Examples
Object
- farmstead: The area has a planned and settled appearance with a number of dispersed farmsteads.
- rioter: For the fourth night in succession troops in Belfast use CS gas to disperse rioters at Ballymurphy.
- mob: The vehicle was jostled as police moved in to disperse the mob.
- seeker: Her current research explores the impacts of the current policy to disperse asylum seekers in the UK.
- spore: The flies disperse the spores when they leave and go elsewhere.
- crowd: The police made some arrests and tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas.
Subject
wind: The seed are dispersed by the wind on a pappus which develops from the petals.
Preposition: into
atmosphere: These substances are volatile, and the assumption has generally been that they would vaporize on disposal and thus get dispersed into the atmosphere.
Modifying Another Word
- geographically: They are held in geographically dispersed archives offices in England.
- widely: The marks were slightly more widely dispersed than last year.
- evenly: Then spray or sprinkle the patch adjusting your pace to ensure the volume is evenly dispersed.
- globally: The furniture was dispersed globally, tho the most important of the books in the library did go to the National Museum of Scotland.
- forcibly: The Kosovo Albanians were forced to go to a nearby school and then they were forcibly dispersed into nearby villages.
- uniformly: Ring material, if unrestrained, will tend to disperse uniformly around the planet.
Followed by a transitive particle
around: Such arts venues as we have are scattered and dispersed around the city.
Used with why or when
when: The messy little beasts wipe their excreta on their wings and the brochosomes are dispersed when it dries and they fly.
Preposition: in
direction: So we sort of dispersed in different directions " .
Preposition: by
Browse dictionary entries near disperse
- ‹ dispersal
- ‹ dispermous
- ‹ dispeople
- ‹ dispenser
- ‹ dispense with
- ‹ dispense
- ‹ dispensatory
- ‹ dispensator
- ‹ dispensation
- ‹ dispensary

