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
The bus was quiet, interspersed with some laughter, as teammates played cards and tried to leave the mess of a series behind.
—
Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Earlier, John Mayer opened with an easygoing, hour-long set interspersed with his moments of virtuoso guitar heat.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Medleys ruled the show Over the course of the concert, the band interspersed their set list with three crowd-pleasing medleys.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Sep. 2025
Private property intersperses protected areas.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intersperse
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Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Earlier, John Mayer opened with an easygoing, hour-long set interspersed with his moments of virtuoso guitar heat.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Medleys ruled the show Over the course of the concert, the band interspersed their set list with three crowd-pleasing medleys.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Sep. 2025
Private property intersperses protected areas.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 20 Sep. 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 4 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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