dispersion

noun dis·per·sion \ di-ˈspər-zhən , -shən \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of dispersion

1 capitalized, Judaism : diaspora 1b

2 : the act or process of dispersing : the state of being dispersed

crowd dispersion

3 mathematics : the scattering of the values of a frequency distribution from an average

4 physics : the separation of light into colors by refraction or diffraction with formation of a spectrum; also : the separation of radiation (see radiation 2) into components in accordance with some varying characteristic (such as energy)

5 chemistry

a : a dispersed (see disperse 2c) substance

b : a system (see system 1a(2)) consisting of a dispersed substance and the medium in which it is dispersed : colloid 2b

See dispersion defined for kids

Examples of dispersion in a Sentence

the dispersion of energy from a source

Recent Examples of dispersion from the Web

But the researchers identified four broad factors that appeared to affect income mobility, including the size and dispersion of the local middle class.

— charlotteobserver, "Charlotte’s poor struggle to advance | Charlotte Observer," 16 Apr. 2018
Cillizza: Trump seems to be taking some credit -- along with the Mexican government -- for the dispersion of the caravan?

— chris cillizza, CNN, "The single biggest thing Donald Trump doesn't get about the caravan," 5 Apr. 2018
Besides looking at the timing and dispersion of each radio burst, the researchers also measured its polarization—the way the burst’s light oscillated up or down, left or right, perpendicular to its direction of travel.

— lee billings, Scientific American, "Dead Stars Orbiting Black Holes May Explain Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts," 10 Jan. 2018
This highly uneven dispersion (brown maps) is a surprise.

— mark fischetti, Scientific American, "Reptiles Are Concentrated in Specific Locations, Often Unprotected," 1 Apr. 2018
But the synagogue soon became the primary link to God, and the dispersion of his people was now theologized as Galut, a repeat of the Babylonian Exile, on a larger and more lasting scale.

— dominic green, WSJ, "‘A History of Judaism’ Review: The Book of Books," 30 Mar. 2018
The jobs report shows healthy economic conditions at the start of the year, as reflected in both the magnitude of gains as well as the healthy dispersion of job creation.

— bloomberg news, OregonLive.com, "Hiring surges while signs of inflation cool," 9 Mar. 2018
Many factors determine the appropriate span — for example, complexity and interdependency of work, skills and experience of manager and team, and geographical dispersion.

— linda clark-santos, idahostatesman, "Designing your organization for competitive edge, part 1– spans of control | Idaho Statesman," 21 Feb. 2018
Its intakes are about 116 miles away, and state officials said dilution and dispersion could help reduce any risk to people or the environment.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Official: It would take days for any chemicals spilled in the Ohio River to reach Louisville," 20 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dispersion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dispersion

see disperse

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

dispersion Synonyms

Medical Dictionary

dispersion

noun dis·per·sion \ dis-ˈpər-zhən, -shən \

medical Definition of dispersion

1 : the act or process of dispersing : the state of being dispersed

2 : the separation of light into colors by refraction or diffraction with formation of a spectrum; also : the separation of radiation into components in accordance with some varying characteristic (as energy)

3 a : a dispersed substance

b : a system consisting of a dispersed substance and the medium in which it is dispersed : colloid 2b — called also disperse system

Learn More about dispersion

See words that rhyme with dispersion Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dispersion Spanish Central: Translation of dispersion Nglish: Translation of dispersion for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dispersion for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dispersion

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dispersion

Definition of dispersion

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Origin and Etymology of dispersion

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dispersion

medical Definition of dispersion

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