disseminate

verb dis·sem·i·nate \ di-ˈse-mə-ˌnāt \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: disseminate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Disseminating Information on disseminate

Definition of disseminate

disseminated; disseminating

transitive verb

1 : to spread abroad as though sowing seed

disseminate ideas

2 : to disperse throughout

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dissemination

play \di-ˌse-mə-ˈnā-shən\ noun

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disseminator

play \-ˈse-mə-ˌnā-tər\ noun

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See disseminate defined for kids

Examples of disseminate in a Sentence

He told me that as Commanding General [General David Petraeus] he believes he should not only direct battlefield action but also disseminate a few easy-to-grasp concepts about the war's prosecution, which subordinate officers can then interpret on their own. —Steve Coll, New Yorker, 8 Sept. 2008
Jefferson helped found and back a friendly newspaper, the National Gazette, to help disseminate his views. —Walter Kim, Time, 5 July 2004
In this case, the filmmakers did not prevent information from being disseminated. And they have no greater moral obligation than do the highly paid Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather to help a TV network keep down its costs. —Randy Cohen, New York Times Magazine, 7 Oct. 2001
Although possession of virus software and source code is not illegal, many of the existing state and federal computer intrusion and unauthorized access laws already make it illegal to introduce a virus into someone's system intentionally. Robert Morris's conviction … shows how the existing laws might be used to punish those involved with disseminating viruses. —Edward A. Cavazos et al., Cyberspace And The Law, 1994
The Internet allows us to disseminate information faster.
The findings were widely disseminated.

Recent Examples of disseminate from the Web

Olympique Lyonnais categorically denies the false information disseminated by many media outlets about the transfer of Nabil Fekir to Liverpool.

— SI.com, "Lyon Dig in Over Nabil Fekir by Claiming Reports of Imminent Liverpool Move Are 'False'," 8 June 2018
The other big news was the foreign intelligence dossier that the President’s political opponents funded and disseminated widely, and was based on discredited opposition research from foreign intelligence sources.

— ryan teague beckwith, Time, "Read the 191 Arguments President Trump Has Made Against the Mueller Investigation," 7 June 2018
By that point, however, the story had been widely disseminated.

— gilbert garcia, San Antonio Express-News, "How the ‘Rally for Our Children’ found its message," 2 June 2018
The video was disseminated with the intention of raising awareness about Joseph Kony, a Ugandan cult and militia leader who forced children to become child soldiers, and a mission of capturing Kony by the end of 2012.

— hannah chubb, Marie Claire, "Hashtag Activism: A Timeline," 24 May 2018
Can only be disseminated at an opioid treatment clinic.

— kevin fagan, San Francisco Chronicle, "SF mayor’s bold plan to treat heroin addicts on the street," 16 May 2018
This information will be disseminated on social media, radio and on websites.

— jan hefler, Philly.com, "'Pent up demand' for medical marijuana in N.J. boosts enrollment 25 percent," 1 May 2018
France is about to find out, after President Emmanuel Macron ordered a law to quash false information disseminated around electoral campaigns.

— oleg cetinic, The Seattle Times, "France vs. fake news offers test case for democratic dilemma," 14 Jan. 2018
Once the President’s identity is confirmed, his orders are passed down the chain of command, disseminated by secure communications to U.S. bomber, missile, and submarine crews worldwide.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "There Isn't Actually a 'Nuclear Button'," 3 Jan. 2018

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

Disseminating Information on disseminate

While the object of the verb disseminate may be something tangible, such as an infectious agent, nowadays the thing most often disseminated, or "spread abroad as though sowing seed," is information. Where does this metaphorical verb come from? In Latin, the dis- prefix signifies separation or dispersal, while the -sem- element springs from semen "seed." The same Latin noun is found in a number of other English words with figurative meanings: seminary (which now is a training facility for priests, but initially was a place where seeds were raised to plants), seminal (meaning "containing the seeds of later development"), and yes, the word semen.