adj
Meaning 1
Scattered or spread out.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
disperse
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈspɜːs/
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General-American: /dɪˈspɝs/
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rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)s
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UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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homophone: disburse
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CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S P ER1 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To scatter in different directions.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, transitive
Examples
- The Jews are dispersed among all nations.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To break up and disappear; to dissipate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: destroy, annihilate, aerosolize, atomize, benothing, bewreck, blot out, blotto, dash, decompose, demolish, desolate, devastate, diffuse, disintegrate, disperse, dissolve, eliminate, eradicate, erase, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, fordo, fuck, harry, jazz, lay waste, level, liquidate, nuke, obliterate, overthrow, overturn, pull down, pulverize, race, raze, ravage, ravel, remove, ruin, ruinate, stamp out, total, subvert, unbreed, unexist, unmake, uproot, waste, wipe out, wipe off, wreck
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To disseminate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To separate rays of light, etc., according to wavelength; to refract.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, transitive
Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To distribute throughout.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
cause to separate
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- break up kidney stones
- disperse particles
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: break up, scatter
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: change integrity
Narrower terms: backscatter
verb
Meaning 8
cause to become widely known
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- spread information
- circulate a rumor
- broadcast the news
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: circulate, circularize, circularise, distribute, disseminate, propagate, broadcast, spread, diffuse, pass around
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: publicize, publicise, air, bare
Narrower terms: podcast, sow, popularize, popularise, vulgarize, vulgarise, generalize, generalise, carry, run
verb
Meaning 9
distribute loosely
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- He scattered gun powder under the wagon
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: scatter, sprinkle, dot, dust
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: discharge
Narrower terms: spray, spatter, splatter, plash, splash, splosh, swash, sprinkle, bespangle, aerosolize, aerosolise
verb
Meaning 10
separate (light) into spectral rays
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the prosm disperses light
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: separate
verb
Meaning 11
move away from each other;
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The crowds dispersed
- The children scattered in all directions when the teacher approached
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dissipate, scatter, spread out
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: separate, part, split
Narrower terms: aerosolize, aerosolise, break, volley
verb
Meaning 12
to cause to separate and go in different directions
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- She waved her hand and scattered the crowds
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dissipate, dispel, break up, scatter
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: separate, divide
Narrower terms: disband
History
Etymology
From Middle French disperser, from Latin dispersus, past participle of dispergō (“to scatter abroad, disperse”), from dis- (“apart”) + spargō (“to scatter”); see sparse.
Across languages
Translations
123 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Amis: palopisaken — to scatter
- Armenian: ցրվել (cʻrvel) — to scatter
- Armenian: ցրել (cʻrel) — to scatter
- Bangi: sanza — to scatter
- Basque: sakabanatu — to scatter
- Central Bikol: wagas — to scatter
- Bulgarian: разпилявам (razpiljavam) — to scatter
- Bulgarian: разпръсквам (razprǎskvam) — to scatter
- Bulgarian: разсейвам (razsejvam) — to scatter
- Catalan: dispersar — to scatter
- Ngazidja Comorian: utsamɓalia — to scatter
- Czech: rozesít — to scatter
- Czech: rozptýlit — to scatter
- Danish: sprede — to scatter
- Dutch: verstrooien — to scatter
- Esperanto: dispeli — to scatter
- Esperanto: aspergi — to scatter
- Finnish: hajottaa — to scatter
- Finnish: hajaantua — to scatter
- French: disperser — to scatter
- French: se disperser — to scatter
- Galician: esparexer — to scatter
- Galician: debandar — to scatter
- Galician: espernexar — to scatter
- Galician: esbandallar — to scatter
- German: zerstreuen — to scatter
- German: sich zerstreuen — to scatter
- German: verbreiten — to scatter
- German: verstreuen — to scatter
- Ancient Greek: σκεδάννυμι (skedánnumi) — to scatter
- White Hmong: w — to scatter
- Hungarian: szétszór — to scatter
- Ido: difuzar — to scatter
- Ido: dispersar — to scatter
- Ingrian: hajottaa — to scatter
- Ingrian: harottaa — to scatter
- Irish: scaoil — to scatter
- Irish: ruaig — to scatter
- Irish: scaip — to scatter
- Italian: disperdere — to scatter
- Japanese: 退散 (taisan) — to scatter
- Korean: 흩다 (heutda) — to scatter
- Latin: dissipō — to scatter
- Lingala: panza — to scatter
- Manx: scaalhean — to scatter
- Manx: skeayl — to scatter
- Māori: korara — to scatter
- Māori: tītari — to scatter
- Māori: tītaritari — to scatter
- Māori: whakaehu — to scatter
- Māori: tohatoha — to scatter
- Middle English: sparplen — to scatter
- Khiamniungan Naga: wāvâ — to scatter
- Old English: tōsċrīþan — to scatter
- Polish: rozproszyć — to scatter
- Portuguese: dispersar — to scatter
- Russian: рассе́ивать (rasséivatʹ) — to scatter
- Russian: рассе́ять (rasséjatʹ) — to scatter
- Russian: разбра́сывать (razbrásyvatʹ) — to scatter
- Russian: разброса́ть (razbrosátʹ) — to scatter
- Russian: рассыпа́ть (rassypátʹ) — to scatter
- Russian: рассы́пать (rassýpatʹ) — to scatter
- Russian: раски́дывать (raskídyvatʹ) — to scatter
- Russian: раскида́ть (raskidátʹ) — to scatter
- Scottish Gaelic: sgaoil — to scatter
- Spanish: dispersar — to scatter
- Tocharian B: käsk- — to scatter
- Ottoman Turkish: صاچمق (saçmak) — to scatter
- Vietnamese: rải rác — to scatter
- ǃXóõ: khàla — to scatter
- Azerbaijani: dağılmaq — to dissipate
- Azerbaijani: dağıtmaq — to dissipate
- Czech: rozptýlit — to dissipate
- Czech: rozehnat — to dissipate
- Esperanto: disiĝi — to dissipate
- Finnish: hajottaa — to dissipate
- Finnish: hajota — to dissipate
- Galician: escagallar — to dissipate
- Galician: desengrear — to dissipate
- German: dissipieren — to dissipate
- Irish: scaip — to dissipate
- Italian: disperdere — to dissipate
- Latin: dissipō — to dissipate
- Māori: whakaehu — to dissipate
- Middle English: sparplen — to dissipate
- Middle English: solven — to dissipate
- Middle English: dissolven — to dissipate
- Portuguese: dissipar — to dissipate
- Russian: разгоня́ть (razgonjátʹ) — to dissipate
- Russian: разогна́ть (razognátʹ) — to dissipate
- Finnish: levittää — to disseminate
- Galician: escagallar — to disseminate
- German: verteilen — to disseminate
- German: verstreuen — to disseminate
- German: verbreiten — to disseminate
- Irish: scaip — to disseminate
- Italian: disseminarere — to disseminate
- Portuguese: disseminar — to disseminate
- Russian: распространя́ть (rasprostranjátʹ) — to disseminate
- Russian: распространи́ть (rasprostranítʹ) — to disseminate
- Finnish: hajottaa — to refract
- Finnish: hajota — to refract
- Finnish: dispergoida — to refract
- Galician: destranxer — to refract
- Galician: aquendar — to refract
- German: streuen — to refract
- German: aufteilen — to refract
- German: auffächern — to refract
- Italian: disperdere — to refract
- Italian: rifrangere — to refract
- Portuguese: refratar — to refract
- Russian: преломля́ть (prelomljátʹ) — to refract
- Russian: преломи́ть (prelomítʹ) — to refract
- Finnish: levittää — to distribute
- German: verteilen — to distribute
- German: dispergieren — to distribute
- Italian: disperdere — to distribute
- Italian: distribuire — to distribute
- Māori: tohatoha — to distribute
- Portuguese: distribuir — to distribute
- Russian: распространя́ть (rasprostranjátʹ) — to distribute
- Russian: распространи́ть (rasprostranítʹ) — to distribute
- Turkish: dağıtmak — to distribute
Real reading context