disperse

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb disperse differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of disperse are dispel, dissipate, and scatter. While all these words mean "to cause to separate or break up," disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group.

police dispersed the crowd

When can dispel be used instead of disperse?

Although the words dispel and disperse have much in common, dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering.

an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt

When could dissipate be used to replace disperse?

The meanings of dissipate and disperse largely overlap; however, dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance.

the fog was dissipated by the morning sun

When would scatter be a good substitute for disperse?

The words scatter and disperse can be used in similar contexts, but scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions.

the bowling ball scattered the pins

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disperse Improve Wetting Properties Surfactants also help a liquid disperse and wet a surface. Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 4 Mar. 2025 More likely, the collapse of the Xiongnu Empire in the first century caused its elites to disperse. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025 Key donor nations, along with the World Bank, suspended $240 million in aid to Rwanda, putting a squeeze on Kigali that effectively ended the crisis: M23 fighters dispersed to camps in Rwanda and Uganda within a matter of months. Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025 Panasonic also claims the dryer uses electrostatic shock to disperse water molecules into tinier nano-sized particles, which might reduce hair damage. Boutayna Chokrane, WIRED, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disperse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disperse
Verb
  • Note that Apple provided us with the 15-inch version of the Air to test and that the 13-inch version may throttle a bit more aggressively, depending on how well its heatsink dissipates heat.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The rush to judgment did not dissipate with Worthy’s release.
    Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Most will scatter to the winds if Harris enters the race.
    George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
  • There will likely be scattered showers and thunderstorms on Monday night.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • After taking office, President Trump was quick to disband a long COVID advisory committee that took months to stand-up.
    Will Stone, NPR, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The Context President Donald Trump and billionaire SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have laid off tens of thousands of federal workers and disbanded a number of federal agencies since Trump took office as part of an effort to dramatically shrink the size of the government.
    William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • There are still matches when Isak is on the fringes — Bournemouth, Fulham and West Ham in 2025 — and when his hold-up play disappears, leaving Newcastle toothless up top.
    Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Engagement disappears, and the content falls flat—or worse.
    Jamie Gutfreund, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • When will the Department of Education be dissolved?
    Arthur Jones II, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The pellet dissolves and helps with blood flow.2 Research has found MUSE to be 50-65% successful.
    Mark Gurarie, Health, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The blockbuster set, which is still the bestselling project in history, refuses to fade away, consistently finding a home on multiple Billboard charts.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The economists noted that optimism about a labor market acceleration has faded, in part possibly against the backdrop of the rising probability of a major trade war.
    Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Disperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disperse. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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