intersperse
verb
in·ter·sperse
ˌin-tər-ˈspərs 
interspersed; interspersing
1
: to insert at intervals among other things
interspersing drawings throughout the text
2
: to place something at intervals in or among
intersperse a book with pictures
Did you know?
Intersperse comes from Latin interspersus, a combination of the prefix inter- ("between or among") and sparsus, the past participle of spargere, meaning "to scatter." Sparsus is also the source of sparse.
Examples of intersperse in a Sentence
You should intersperse these pictures evenly throughout the book.
Some seagulls were interspersed among the ducks.
Recent Examples on the Web
Heat 2 serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the film, interspersing storylines from earlier in the characters' careers (circa 1988) with the events that followed the 1995 film.
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
The service had seen years of neglect interspersed with pledges to improve it, and the acquisition of a Silicon Valley startup by a company in Milan did not land well with many longtime users.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025
Beckham, Joey Barton (Marseille) and Joe Cole (Lille) all had a season in France’s Ligue 1 in the 2010s, with the former ending his playing career at Paris Saint-Germain, after a six-season spell at LA Galaxy in MLS which was interspersed with two loans to Italy’s Milan.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Greengrass intersperses those blistering moments with scenes of firefighters and other authorities talking about how to deal with the fire and filling in plot points away from the action.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intersperse
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Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
The service had seen years of neglect interspersed with pledges to improve it, and the acquisition of a Silicon Valley startup by a company in Milan did not land well with many longtime users.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025
Beckham, Joey Barton (Marseille) and Joe Cole (Lille) all had a season in France’s Ligue 1 in the 2010s, with the former ending his playing career at Paris Saint-Germain, after a six-season spell at LA Galaxy in MLS which was interspersed with two loans to Italy’s Milan.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Greengrass intersperses those blistering moments with scenes of firefighters and other authorities talking about how to deal with the fire and filling in plot points away from the action.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intersperse
Cite this Entry
“Intersperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intersperse. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
intersperse
verb
in·ter·sperse
ˌint-ər-ˈspərs
interspersed; interspersing
1
: to set here and there among other things
intersperse pictures in a book
2
: to vary with things inserted here and there
interspersed the photo album with her poetry
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