dispersal

noun

dis·​pers·​al di-ˈspər-səl 

: the act or result of dispersing

especially : the process or result of the spreading of organisms from one place to another

Synonyms

• dispersion
• scattering

Examples of dispersal in a Sentence

the dispersal of plant seeds in the forests through natural means

Recent Examples on the Web

Creating majority-Black districts in the South has been a longstanding remedy to the historic dispersal of minority populations across multiple districts to dilute their voting power. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025

Very little funding has actually been delivered, sources say, in part because Commerce has held up its dispersal. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 Aug. 2025

Even worse, Republicans ended the CTC’s monthly dispersal and actually shrunk how many children can get the CTC by 2 million. —Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2025

But bat populations around the world are in decline, and without them, ecosystems lose key benefits like pest control, pollination and seed dispersal. —Anna Tunkova, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dispersal

• demersal
• rehearsal
• reversal
• transversal
• traversal
• bursal
• versal
• universal

Kids Definition

dispersal

noun

dis·​pers·​al dis-ˈpər-səl 

: the act or result of dispersing

Medical Definition

dispersal

noun

dis·​pers·​al dis-ˈpər-səl 

: the act or result of dispersing

specifically : the process or result of the spreading of organisms from one place to another