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
Cite this Entry
“Disperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disperse. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.
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