disperse

IPA/dɪˈspɜːs/
KK[dɪspˈɚs]IPA/dɪˈspɜːrs/

disperse — verb

  • dispersepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • disperseshe / she / it
  • dispersedpast simple
  • dispersing-ing form

1. to move apart so that the people, animals, or things in a group end up in many d

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to move apart so that the people, animals, or things in a group end up in many different places, or to push a group apart so this happens.

Example

Riot police used water cannons to disperse the protesters near the parliament building.

disperse + [people gathered as a crowd]

After the final whistle, the crowd dispersed quietly into the side streets around the stadium.

intransitive: subject + disperse + direction phrase

Common collocations
  • disperse the crowd
  • disperse peacefully
  • quickly disperse
  • disperse in all directions
Synonyms
  • scatter

    near-synonym; slightly more casual and often used of smaller objects

  • break up

    common phrasal verb used especially of crowds and gatherings

  • dissipate

    more formal; usually of mist, smoke, or feelings rather than people

Antonyms
  • gather

    to come or bring together into one place

  • assemble

    formal; to bring people together for a purpose

Grammar Patterns

disperse + noun (people/crowd)

subject + disperse (intransitive)

Usage Note

Frequently used of crowds, protests, animals, smoke, or seeds; common in passive and intransitive forms. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense focuses on physical separation in space, not on news or information spreading.

Common Mistakes

The teacher dispersed the homework to the class.
The teacher handed out the homework to the class.
'disperse' means to scatter outward, not to give items to specific people one by one.

2. to send something out from one source so that it reaches a wide area or audience

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to send something out from one source so that it reaches a wide area or audience — for example, news through a network, light through a prism, or a chemical through water.

Example

The radio station helped disperse warnings about the flood throughout the coastal villages.

disperse + [information] + through/throughout [area]

Élise watched the glass prism disperse the afternoon sunlight into a band of colours on the wall.

formal/technical: disperse + light

Common collocations
  • disperse information
  • disperse light
  • disperse a substance
  • widely disperse
Synonyms
  • disseminate

    formal; almost identical in this sense, especially for information

  • broadcast

    common; emphasises sending out to many receivers, often via media

  • distribute

    broader; can involve delivery to specific recipients rather than open spreading

Antonyms
  • concentrate

    to bring or keep something in one small area

  • withhold

    to keep information from being shared

Grammar Patterns

disperse + noun (information/light/substance)

Usage Note

Subject is typically a medium or source (radio, prism, wind, charity); object is information, light, smoke, or a fine substance. Distinguish from sense 1: here the focus is on outward distribution from a single source, not on a group physically breaking apart.

Common Mistakes

Paloma dispersed her opinion to the room.
Paloma shared her opinion with the room.
'disperse' is used for sending things out broadly through a medium, not for stating a personal view in a small group.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe a group or mass ceasing to be in one place, but they differ in register and typical subject. 'Scatter' is the most everyday word and works equally well for small objects (leaves, marbles) and for people; it often suggests a sudden, slightly chaotic motion. 'Disperse' is a step more formal and is the default verb used in news reporting about crowds, protests, and police action: the crowd dispersed; police dispersed the protesters. 'Break up' is informal and phrasal — natural for parties, meetings, and gatherings ending. 'Dissipate' rarely takes people; it typically applies to mist, smoke, heat, or feelings (her anger slowly dissipated). So a journalist writes 'police dispersed the crowd', a friend texts 'the party broke up around midnight', and a novelist writes 'the morning fog dissipated by ten'.

disperse ↗scatter ↗break up ↗dissipate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • disperse in all directions
  • ordered to disperse
  • refuse to disperse

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinMiddle FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Latin 'dispergere', meaning 'to scatter widely', formed from 'dis-' (apart, in different directions) plus 'spargere' (to scatter or sprinkle). The verb entered English in the late 14th century through Middle French, first used of physically scattering things and people, and later extended to ideas, light, and fine substances spreading outward from a source.