disperse

dis·perse

verb \di-ˈspərs\

dis·perseddis·pers·ing

Definition of DISPERSE

transitive verb

1

a : to cause to break up <police dispersed the crowd> b : to cause to become spread widely c : to cause to evaporate or vanish <sunlight dispersing the mist>

2

: to spread or distribute from a fixed or constant source: as a archaic : disseminate b : to subject (as light) to dispersion c : to distribute (as fine particles) more or less evenly throughout a medium

intransitive verb

1

: to break up in random fashion <the crowd dispersed on request>

2

a : to become dispersed b : dissipate, vanish <the fog dispersed toward morning>

— dis·persed·ly \-ˈspər-səd-lē, -ˈspərst-lē\ adverb

— dis·pers·er noun

— dis·pers·ible \-ˈspər-sə-bəl\ adjective

Examples of DISPERSE

1. Police ordered the crowd to disperse.
2. <the crowd dispersed once the show ended>

Origin of DISPERSE

Middle English, from Latin dispersus, past participle of dispergere to scatter, from dis- + spargere to scatter — more at spark

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to DISPERSE

Synonyms: disassemble, dissipate, dissolve, scatter

Antonyms: assemble, cluster, collect, concentrate, congregate, gather, ingather

Related Words: branch (out), break up, disband, diverge, divide, fork, separate, spill; clear, disappear, evanesce, evaporate, fade, flee, go (away), melt

Near Antonyms: congregate, gather, meet

see all synonyms and antonyms

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See Synonym Discussion at scatter

Rhymes with DISPERSE

adverse, amerce, asperse, averse, coerce, commerce, converse, cutpurse, disburse, diverse, dry nurse, free verse, immerse, inverse, Nez Percé, obverse, perverse, rehearse, reverse, scrub nurse, sesterce, submerse, transverse, traverse, wet nurse