disperse
/dɪˈspɝs/
Reviewed on
Type
Verb
Meaning
To scatter or cause a group of people or things to spread apart and move away in different directions.
Police ordered the crowd to disperse after several small fires broke out.
The demonstrators refused to disperse and remained outside city hall until morning.
To spread thin or cause a substance to dissipate until it disappears.
A strong afternoon breeze helped disperse the morning fog over the bay.
Has the smoke dispersed enough for us to go back inside?
To spread things or information over a wide area.
Birds and wind disperse the seeds of many plants over a wide area.
The company dispersed its offices across three states to reduce risk.
How it's used
When this means “cause a group to scatter”
- disperse the crowd
“disperse them.”
Officers managed to disperse the crowd peacefully.
When this means “scatter naturally”
- the crowd dispersed
The crowd dispersed after the concert ended.
When this means “spread over a wide area”
- disperse seeds across the field
“disperse them.”
Birds disperse seeds across the forest every fall.
Collocations
- ordered to disperse
- fail to disperse
- disperse fog
- disperse smoke
- quickly disperse
- disperse seeds
Synonyms
- scatter
- dissipate
- distribute
- disseminate