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
While Lebanese army soldiers are dispersed across the south's western sector, Israeli troops remained in control of most of the southeastern sector.
—
Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Jan. 2025
While the new guidance means no further actions will be taken to disperse aid funding to programs already approved by the U.S. government, there are exceptions for humanitarian food initiatives and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025
Others served on the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services’ Continuum of Care board, which disperses federal Housing and Urban Development dollars to support efforts to end homelessness.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2025
This financial influx is part of the broader compensation plan that disperses funds directly to impacted communities over the next 15 years.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disperse 
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Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Jan. 2025
While the new guidance means no further actions will be taken to disperse aid funding to programs already approved by the U.S. government, there are exceptions for humanitarian food initiatives and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025
Others served on the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services’ Continuum of Care board, which disperses federal Housing and Urban Development dollars to support efforts to end homelessness.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2025
This financial influx is part of the broader compensation plan that disperses funds directly to impacted communities over the next 15 years.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disperse
Dictionary Entries Near disperse
Cite this Entry
“Disperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disperse. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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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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