1
as in to dissipate
to go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole
the crowd dispersed once the show ended
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to scatter
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart
the family of the missing woman dispersed searchers to all corners of the national park
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to disband
to cease to exist or cause to cease to exist as a group or organization
the campaign staff dispersed almost immediately after the election
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disperse
Ash will disperse farther away from the mountain but aircraft should avoid it as volcanic ash can damage engine parts.
—
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The last time there were protests the regime employed sound cannons, a type of acoustic weapon that disperses crowds in a second and causes long-lasting psychological damage.
—Sara Stridsberg
september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
The microbes get dispersed and the plants get rain.
—Katherine Bourzac, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
People pay varying fees to the district courts, and those funds are dispersed broadly.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disperse
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The last time there were protests the regime employed sound cannons, a type of acoustic weapon that disperses crowds in a second and causes long-lasting psychological damage.
—Sara Stridsberg
september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
The microbes get dispersed and the plants get rain.
—Katherine Bourzac, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
People pay varying fees to the district courts, and those funds are dispersed broadly.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disperse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disperse
Verb
-
This swift reversal highlights how rapidly speculative investments can dissipate in a market driven more by hype than by underlying fundamentals.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The water evaporates when near heat sources, then condenses back into a liquid when the heat dissipates into the phone’s surrounding aluminum body.—
Gwendolyn Rak,
IEEE Spectrum,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The last giant sequoias are in about 73 groves scattered over 48,000 acres along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The 14,200-square-foot unit at 8 Via Montenapoleone, slated to open to the public on Saturday, also carries a strong Italian accent in terms of materials, furnishings and artworks scattered across the three-story building, which dates back to the 1500s but was rebuilt in 1952.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Despite being signed to the culture-changing label Sub Pop for four albums in the 2000s, Fruit Bats never achieved the same level of acclaim as many of their labelmates, like the Shins and Sleater Kinney, and Johnson disbanded the collective at the end of its 2013 tour.—
Daniel Kohn,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
-
With the group only set to work together for two-and-a-half years, IZ*ONE managed to sell nearly three million records across their K- and J-pop releases before officially disbanding in April 2021.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Set in the slowly disappearing town of Malmberget in northern Sweden, the documentary explores what remains when a place vanishes – not only physically, but emotionally and culturally.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The Atacama seemed to appear and disappear through a kaleidoscope positioned in outer space.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If the stain isn’t completely dissolved by the end, at the very least, this method will dilute the mark significantly.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
-
When heated slightly, this combo safely dissolves silver from old circuit boards, wires or keyboard connectors.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Brenner concluded by reminding those on one end of a fading friendship to consider the nature of relationships over time—and how sometimes, things might just come back around.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Union Jacks flap gently in the breeze; a golden slither of evening sun drapes a row of cottages; a red postbox, still bearing the initials of the late Queen, stands outside a village church, bathed in the fading light.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disperse. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share