Definition

1. Verb (Transitive):

   • To cause to spread widely or scatter in different directions: To distribute or spread things or people over a wide area, causing them to separate from a central point.
   • To cause to vanish or dissipate: To make something, like a crowd, fog, or particles, break up and disappear or become less concentrated.
   • To separate light into its constituent spectral colors: In physics, to cause light to spread out into its component wavelengths.

2. Verb (Intransitive):

   • To go or move in different directions; to scatter: To separate and move apart from a central gathering point.

Examples of Usage

• Verb (Transitive):

  • Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters. (The police caused the crowd to scatter.)
  • The wind quickly dispersed the smoke from the fire. (The wind caused the smoke to dissipate.)
  • A prism disperses white light into a rainbow of colors. (A prism separates light into its spectrum.)

• Verb (Intransitive):

  • After the concert, the crowd slowly dispersed. (The crowd moved away in different directions.)
  • The clouds dispersed, revealing a blue sky. (The clouds broke up and moved apart.)

Advanced Usage

• "to disperse seeds": To scatter seeds over an area.

  • The plant disperses its seeds via the wind.

• "to disperse funds": To distribute or allocate money to various recipients or projects.

  • The foundation will disperse the grant money to several charities.

• In scientific contexts (Chemistry/Physics): Refers to the distribution of particles within a medium or the separation of waves.

  • The colloid is formed by finely dispersed particles in a liquid.

Variants and Related Words

• Dispersal (noun): The act or process of dispersing or the state of being dispersed.

  • The seed dispersal mechanism is crucial for the plant's survival.

• Dispersion (noun): The state of being dispersed; in physics, the separation of light into colors or of a wave into its components.

  • The study focused on the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere.

• Dispersive (adjective): Tending to disperse or characterized by dispersion.

  • The material has strong dispersive properties.

Synonyms

• Scatter: To throw or spread things loosely over an area.
• Dissipate: To cause to spread thin or vanish; to disperse.
• Disseminate: To spread information, knowledge, etc., widely.
• Break up: To cause to separate into parts; to disperse.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "Disperse" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically conveyed alone or with prepositions like "into," "throughout," or "over.") - Disperse into: To scatter and move into a particular area. - The demonstrators dispersed into the side streets.

• Disperse throughout: To spread widely within an area.
  • The aroma of baking bread dispersed throughout the house.

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms centered solely on the word "disperse." Its use is typically literal or technical.) - To disperse to the four winds: A literary expression meaning to scatter in all directions. - After the company closed, its employees dispersed to the four winds.

Verb

1. cause to become widely known
   • spread information
   • circulate a rumor
   • broadcast the news
2. separate (light) into spectral rays
   • the prosm disperses light
3. move away from each other;
   • The crowds dispersed
   • The children scattered in all directions when the teacher approached
4. cause to separate
   • break up kidney stones
   • disperse particles
5. to cause to separate and go in different directions
   • She waved her hand and scattered the crowds
6. distribute loosely
   • He scattered gun powder under the wagon