1
as in to dissipate
to go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole
the crowd dispersed once the show ended
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2
as in to scatter
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart
the family of the missing woman dispersed searchers to all corners of the national park
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3
as in to disband
to cease to exist or cause to cease to exist as a group or organization
the campaign staff dispersed almost immediately after the election
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disperse
Prior research suggested that this lineage evolved in Africa about 30 million to 25 million years ago and dispersed from there, according to Jiang.
—
Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 13 May 2025
Ukraine’s tanks are dispersing on the battlefield—spreading out and hiding to avoid detection by drones—and also dispersing within the Ukrainian military’s force structure: playing more of a supporting role than a lead role in a war increasingly shaped by tiny, lethal robots.
—David Axe, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
New fiscal stimulus, like the American Rescue Plan Act, can take longer to disperse throughout the economy.
—Erica E. Phillips, Hartford Courant, 13 May 2025
That left many filmmakers still searching for distribution long after the crowds dispersed.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for disperse
Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 13 May 2025
Ukraine’s tanks are dispersing on the battlefield—spreading out and hiding to avoid detection by drones—and also dispersing within the Ukrainian military’s force structure: playing more of a supporting role than a lead role in a war increasingly shaped by tiny, lethal robots.
—David Axe, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
New fiscal stimulus, like the American Rescue Plan Act, can take longer to disperse throughout the economy.
—Erica E. Phillips, Hartford Courant, 13 May 2025
That left many filmmakers still searching for distribution long after the crowds dispersed.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for disperse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disperse
Verb
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Now Trump is back in office and flirting openly with authoritarianism—but the defiant energy that swept the arts during his first administration seems dissipated and tentative.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
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Whatever was bottling up the Mets’ offense over the last week finally dissipated in a 5-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Rather than capturing the light reflected directly from the object, the system measures how the laser light is scattered by the surrounding space.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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Overall, there are some reasonable ideas scattered throughout the executive orders (though whether their implementation ends up being reasonable is questionable, especially given DOGE's involvement).—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Yet the Eighth Brigade, a 3,000 strong group of rebel Sunni forces in the Southern Daraa Governorate, disbanded in April after pressure from al-Sharaa.—
Natasha Lindstaedt,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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But the committee’s work was abruptly terminated when, on Feb. 28 – just a month after Trump’s inauguration – the new administration disbanded it.—
Alice Herman,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Plaza plays a cop who Qualley has a passionate love affair with until things turn sour when her niece disappears.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
24 May 2025
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The film is also an introspective interrogation of Cruise's stardom, confronting its main character with uncomfortable realities: his world is artificial, insulated, and fleeting, and his multimillion-dollar good looks could disappear in an instant.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
Verb
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The Imperial Senate is dissolved The Emperor dissolves the Senate, the last functioning remnant of the Republic, and moves to centralize powers under the planetary governors.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
25 May 2025
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Alice was eventually released in 1932, but the family had dissolved.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Verb
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However, the glamour faded soon after the team docked in Manhattan.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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That faded, and Maresca’s task will be maintaining the charge next season.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disperse. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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