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
Research team pointed out that theoretical modeling suggested that theta-phase tantalum nitride could exhibit unusually efficient heat transport due to its unique atomic structure, in which tantalum atoms are interspersed with nitrogen atoms in a hexagonal pattern.
—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
Urgent calls to unite against injustice were interspersed with energetic gospel on Monday at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where King preached.
—Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Not as great as The Wire or The Shield, but genuinely good TV with rich characters and plenty of action interspersed between the drama.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Patches of sawgrass and cattails are interspersed among the shrubby bayhead willows.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for intersperse
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Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
Urgent calls to unite against injustice were interspersed with energetic gospel on Monday at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where King preached.
—Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
Not as great as The Wire or The Shield, but genuinely good TV with rich characters and plenty of action interspersed between the drama.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Patches of sawgrass and cattails are interspersed among the shrubby bayhead willows.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for intersperse
Cite this Entry
“Intersperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intersperse. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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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