Standard Lemma guide

disseminate

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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.

  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈsɛmɪˌneɪt/
  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈsɛməˌneɪt/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /dɪˈsemɪˌnæɪt/
  • Brisbane Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S EH1 M AH0 N EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To sow and scatter principles, ideas, opinions, etc, or concrete things, for growth and propagation, like seeds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To become widespread.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • The values of the human rights movement have disseminated throughout the world.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

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, propagate, broadcast, spread, diffuse, disperse, pass around

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: publicize, publicise, air, bare

Narrower terms: podcast, sow, popularize, popularise, vulgarize, vulgarise, generalize, generalise, carry, run

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dissēminātus, the perfect passive participle of dissēminō (“to broadcast, disseminate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from dis- (“asunder, in all directions”) + sēminō (“to plant, sow”), from sēmen (“seed”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). See also Middle English disseminat(e) (“disseminated”).

Across languages

Translations

58 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: разпръсквам (razprǎskvam) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Bulgarian: разпространявам (razprostranjavam) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Chinese Mandarin: 散播 (sànbō) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Chinese Mandarin: 傳播 /传播 (chuánbō) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Dutch: uitdragen — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • French: disséminer — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • German: verbreiten — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • German: verteilen — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • German: aussähen — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • German: veröffentlichen — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • German: ausbreiten — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • German: disseminieren — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • German: sähen — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • German: ausstreuen — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Hungarian: terjeszt — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Irish: síolaigh — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Irish: scaip — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Japanese: 蒔く (maku) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Japanese: 広める (hiromeru) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Korean: 뿌리다 (ppurida) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Korean: 퍼뜨리다 (peotteurida) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Latin: dissēminō — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Māori: whakahōrapa — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Polish: rozsiewać — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Polish: rozsiać — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Polish: rozpowszechniać — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Polish: rozpowszechnić — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Polish: rozprzestrzeniać — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Polish: rozprzestrzenić — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Polish: szerzyć — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Portuguese: disseminar — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Quechua: ch'iqichiy — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Russian: рассе́ивать (rasséivatʹ) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Russian: распространя́ть (rasprostranjátʹ) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Spanish: diseminar — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Swedish: utsprida — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Swedish: sprida — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Tagalog: magpakalat — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Turkish: yaymak — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Ottoman Turkish: یایمق (yaymak) — transitive: to sow and scatter principles, etc. for propagation, like seed
  • Bulgarian: разпространявам се (razprostranjavam se) — intransitive: to become scattered
  • German: verbreiten — intransitive: to become scattered
  • German: verteilen — intransitive: to become scattered
  • German: ausstreuen — intransitive: to become scattered
  • German: ausbreiten — intransitive: to become scattered
  • German: verstreuen — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Hungarian: szétszóródik — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Irish: síolaigh — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Irish: scaip — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Japanese: 広まる (hiromaru) — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Korean: 퍼지다 (peojida) — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Polish: szerzyć się — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Polish: rozprzestrzeniać się — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Russian: рассе́иваться (rasséivatʹsja) — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Russian: распространя́ться (rasprostranjátʹsja) — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Swedish: utspridas — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Swedish: spridas — intransitive: to become scattered
  • Turkish: yayılmak — intransitive: to become scattered
Real reading context

disseminate in complete knowledge articles