Disperse meaning

dĭ-spûrs'
To disperse is defined as to break up and spread in many directions.

An example of to disperse is when people in a crowd walk away from each other.

An example of to disperse is when light through a prism is broken up into the colors of the rainbow.

verb
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To cause to attenuate and disappear.

The sun dispersed the fog.

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To attenuate and vanish; dissipate.

The storm clouds had dispersed by noon.

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To break up and scatter in all directions; spread about; distribute widely.
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To dispel (mist, etc.)
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To break up (light) into its component colored rays.
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To break up and move in different directions; scatter.
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(intransitive) To scatter in different directions.

The Jews are dispersed among all nations.

verb
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(intransitive) To break up and disappear; to dissipate.
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(intransitive) To disseminate.
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(physics, intransitive) To separate rays of light etc. according to wavelength; to refract.
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(intransitive) To distribute throughout.
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The definition of disperse is to cause to vanish.

An example of to disperse is when fog is blown away by wind.

verb
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To separate and move in different directions; scatter.

The crowd dispersed once the concert ended.

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Origin of disperse

  • Middle English dispersen from Old French disperser from Latin dispergere dispers- to disperse dis- apart dis– spargere to scatter
    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
  • From French disperser, from Latin dispersus, past participle of dispergere (“to scatter abroad, disperse”), from dis- (“apart”) + spargere (“to scatter”); see sparse.
    From Wiktionary

Disperse Sentence Examples

  • She coughed softly and waved a hand to disperse the fumes.

  • At a further stage of their growth the particles disperse in the perpendicular direction a light which is no longer fully polarized.

  • The guests began to disperse, some without taking leave of Helene.

  • As for lights in the churches, he adds that " in all the churches of the East, whenever the gospel is to be read, lights are lit, though the sun be rising (jam sole rutilante), not in order to disperse the darkness, but as a visible sign of gladness (ad signum laetitiae demonstrandum)."

  • His hospital companions, who had gathered round Rostov--a fresh arrival from the world outside--gradually began to disperse as soon as Denisov began reading his answer.

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Also Mentioned In

Words near disperse in the Dictionary