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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disperse
Nonprofit lenders say the program was structured with maximum oversight, with state organizations following rigorous reporting requirements that would be made public once funding was dispersed.
—
Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2025
Police had brought water cannons onto the avenue to disperse protesters.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
They’re often dispersed in small amounts in sections of underlying rock.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2025
Witnesses reported that the driver moved slowly, forcing the protesters to disperse to avoid being hit.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disperse
Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2025
Police had brought water cannons onto the avenue to disperse protesters.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025
They’re often dispersed in small amounts in sections of underlying rock.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2025
Witnesses reported that the driver moved slowly, forcing the protesters to disperse to avoid being hit.
—Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disperse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disperse
Verb
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The money people know how to use that glaze-over stuff to be able to dissipate the outrage that would result if citizens really knew that politicians were being paid off for certain results.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2025
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Yet forecasters also warned that flooding could continue for several days in the affected areas even after the heavy rains have dissipated.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This scenic bar is located 18 stories up and was inspired by Picasso’s blue period, with vintage and contemporary furniture accents scattered throughout.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2025
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Tuesday has scattered showers that could be focused south of the Orlando metro and Cape Canaveral.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, at the Department of Agriculture, officials disbanded an advisory committee that had been studying the threat of Cronobacter contamination in powdered formula.—
Heather Vogell,
ProPublica,
4 Apr. 2025
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That’s no small shift for a rock act that officially disbanded years ago and hasn’t released brand new material in a long time.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The case was the first of dozens of pending lawsuits to reach trial in Louisiana against the world’s leading oil companies for their role in accelerating land loss along the state’s rapidly disappearing coast.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2025
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Legal experts have said the inadvertent sharing of national defense information with The Atlantic reported added to the group would likely violate the Espionage Act, while the chat’s disappearing message function would also run afoul of public records laws.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Venus will also station direct on the same day, bringing clarity and truth to the forefront, especially in your love life as old patterns continue to dissolve.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Phosphorus is notoriously slow to dissolve, and because of their microscopic particle sizes, clays tend to hold the phosphorus tightly.—
Neil Sperry,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Third to Journalism in the recent San Felipe Stakes — the race that more or less made Journalism a candidate Derby horse and that saw Rodriguez fade to show — Rodriguez currently clings to step No. 30 on the Derby points ladder, with 21-plus points.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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The Federal Railway Safety Act But Cassity and other union leaders remain concerned that little requires railroads like Norfolk Southern to maintain these protocols once the headlines of East Palestine fade away.—
Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disperse. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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