dispersed; dispersing
1
a
: to cause to break up (see break up sense 1a)
police dispersed the crowd
b
: to cause to become spread widely
disperse the troops
c
: to cause to evaporate or vanish
sunlight dispersing the mist
2
: to spread or distribute from a fixed or constant source: such as
a
archaic
: disseminate
disperse the news
b
physics
: to subject to dispersion (see dispersion sense 4)
disperse light
c
chemistry
: to distribute (something, such as fine particles) more or less evenly throughout a medium
1
: to break up in random fashion
the crowd dispersed on request
Examples of disperse in a Sentence
Police ordered the crowd to disperse.
the crowd dispersed once the show ended
Recent Examples on the Web
But this year, Veach says, is different from others in the way the draft’s talent is dispersed.
—
Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
Its more than $50 million budget was largely dispersed through grants to organizations to identify and combat disinformation from foreign adversaries.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025
After the Merci Train touched down on American soil, the boxcars were dispersed to states throughout the nation.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
In addition, nearly 10% of microplastics dispersed in the ocean each year come from textiles.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disperse
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Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
Its more than $50 million budget was largely dispersed through grants to organizations to identify and combat disinformation from foreign adversaries.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2025
After the Merci Train touched down on American soil, the boxcars were dispersed to states throughout the nation.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
In addition, nearly 10% of microplastics dispersed in the ocean each year come from textiles.
—Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disperse
Cite this Entry
“Disperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disperse. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
disperse
verb
dis·perse
dis-ˈpərs 
dispersed; dispersing
: to spread or distribute from a fixed or constant source: as
a
: to subject (as light) to dispersion
b
: to distribute (as fine particles) more or less evenly throughout a medium
: to become dispersed
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