disperse

/dəˈspʌrs/

/dɪsˈpʌs/

Other forms: dispersed; dispersing; disperses

To make a crowd at a party disperse, you could take away the food, turn off the music and ask for volunteers to clean up. Disperse is to spread out people or things, making them move in different directions.

Imagine yourself standing on a basketball court holding a cup packed tight with marbles. If you turn it over, the marbles will disperse across the floor, moving away from you in all directions. Another word for this is scatter. Don't confuse this word with disburse, which means to distribute money. Remember that false friends disperse when you cease to disburse.

Definitions of disperse

1. verb

   move away from each other
   “The crowds dispersed”

   synonyms: dissipate, scatter, spread out

   types:

   aerosolise, aerosolize

   become dispersed as an aerosol

   break

   scatter or part

   volley

   be dispersed in a volley

   type of:

   part, separate, split

   go one's own way; move apart
2. verb

   distribute loosely
   synonyms: dot, dust, scatter, sprinkle

   types:

   spray

   scatter in a mass or jet of droplets

   spray

   be discharged in sprays of liquid

   plash, spatter, splash, splatter, splosh, swash

   dash a liquid upon or against

   splash, splosh, sprinkle

   cause (a liquid) to spatter about, especially with force

   bespangle

   dot or sprinkle with sparkling or glittering objects

   aerosolise, aerosolize

   disperse as an aerosol

   shower

   spray or sprinkle with

   atomise, atomize

   spray very finely

   mist

   spray finely or cover with mist

   syringe

   spray or irrigate (a body part) with a syringe

   puddle

   make a puddle by splashing water

   slosh, slosh around, slush, slush around

   spill or splash copiously or clumsily

   salt

   sprinkle as if with salt

   drizzle, moisten

   moisten with fine drops

   type of:

   discharge

   pour forth or release
3. verb

   cause to separate
   “disperse particles”

   synonyms: break up, scatter

   types:

   backscatter

   scatter (radiation) by the atoms of the medium through which it passes

   type of:

   change integrity

   change in physical make-up
4. verb

   cause to separate and go in different directions
   synonyms: break up, dispel, dissipate, scatter

   types:

   disband

   cause to break up or cease to function

   type of:

   divide, separate

   make a division or separation
5. verb

   cause to become widely known
   synonyms: broadcast, circularise, circularize, circulate, diffuse, disseminate, distribute, pass around, propagate, spread

   circulate, go around, spread

   become widely known and passed on

   types:

   podcast

   distribute (multimedia files) over the internet for playback on a mobile device or a personal computer

   sow

   introduce into an environment

   generalise, generalize, popularise, popularize, vulgarise, vulgarize

   cater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use

   carry, run

   include as the content; broadcast or publicize

   type of:

   air, bare, publicise, publicize

   make public
6. verb

   separate (light) into spectral rays
   “the prism disperses light”

   type of:

   separate

   divide into components or constituents