DISPERSE

circulate, circularize, circularise, distribute, disseminate, propagate, broadcast, spread, diffuse, disperse, pass around

(verb) cause to become widely known; “spread information”; “circulate a rumor”; “broadcast the news”

scatter, sprinkle, dot, dust, disperse

(verb) distribute loosely; “He scattered gun powder under the wagon”

disperse

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

disperse, dissipate, scatter, spread out

(verb) move away from each other; “The crowds dispersed”; “The children scattered in all directions when the teacher approached”

disperse, dissipate, dispel, break up, scatter

(verb) to cause to separate and go in different directions; “She waved her hand and scattered the crowds”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

disperse (third-person singular simple present disperses, present participle dispersing, simple past and past participle dispersed)

(transitive, intransitive) To scatter in different directions

(transitive, intransitive) To break up and disappear; to dissipate

(transitive, intransitive) To disseminate

(physics, transitive, intransitive) To separate rays of light etc. according to wavelength; to refract

(transitive, intransitive) To distribute throughout

Usage notes

• Do not confuse with the monetary word disburse, despite the two being near homophones and having a degree of semantic similarity (in which disbursed money may be dispersed among expenses). A mnemonic to help make the difference obvious (which uses a cognate of each word) is that dÄ­s-burs-ing is taking money out of the purse, whereas dÄ­-spers-ing causes something to be sparsely scattered.

Synonyms

• (scatter in different directions): See also disperse

Adjective

disperse (comparative more disperse, superlative most disperse)

Scattered or spread out.

Anagrams

• Perseids, despiser, perseids, presides

Source: Wiktionary


Dis*perse", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dispersed; p. pr. & vb. n. Dispersing.] Etym: [L. dispersus, p. p. of dispergere to strew, scatter. See Sparse.]

1. To scatter abroad; to drive to different parts; to distribute; to diffuse; to spread; as, the Jews are dispersed among all nations. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge. Prov. xv. 7. Two lions, in the still, dark night, A herd of beeves disperse. Cowper.

2. To scatter, so as to cause to vanish; to dissipate; as, to disperse vapors. Dispersed are the glories. Shak.

Syn.

– To scatter; dissipate; dispel; spread; diffuse; distribute; deal out; disseminate.

Dis*perse", v. i.

1. To separate; to go or move into different parts; to vanish; as, the company dispersed at ten o'clock; the clouds disperse.

2. To distribute wealth; to share one's abundance with others. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor. Ps. cxii. 9.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

3 April 2025

WHOLE

(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”


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Coffee Trivia

The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.

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