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
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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
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Recent Examples of disperse
On May 25, hundreds of young people descended on 57th Street Beach in Hyde Park as Chicago police moved in to disperse them.
—
Desmon Yancy, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
The talent may always have been there, dispersed across 70 million eligible teenagers on six continents.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 June 2026
More mobile species may be better able to adapt to habitat fragmentation by dispersing into suitable habitat elsewhere.
—Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
But when the processions disperse, the city returns to its usual arrangements and the permission recedes with the crowd.
—Vogue, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disperse
Desmon Yancy, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
The talent may always have been there, dispersed across 70 million eligible teenagers on six continents.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 June 2026
More mobile species may be better able to adapt to habitat fragmentation by dispersing into suitable habitat elsewhere.
—Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
But when the processions disperse, the city returns to its usual arrangements and the permission recedes with the crowd.
—Vogue, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disperse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disperse
Verb
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The high concentrations dissipated after about eight months and no longer present a threat.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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In distributing these weak linkages throughout a material like polystyrene, the mechanophores split in two as a crack begins to propagate, successfully redirecting the crack and dissipating the destructive energy.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Another showed the roof destroyed, with rubble scattered on the ground as emergency responders surveyed the aftermath.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
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The village boutiques scattered along the sloping cobblestone alleys are just a five-minute stroll away, and offer the standard unremarkable Provence souvenirs—traditional fabrics, yellow pottery, straw bags, and sweet-smelling soaps.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Longtime riding groups have disbanded.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
1 June 2026
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As a result, the government has disbanded the school’s board of management and will take appropriate legal and disciplinary action against any staff found to have neglected their duties, Ogamba said.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Verb
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As America marks the 82nd anniversary of D-Day on Saturday, a group of women whose wartime labor helped sustain the Allied war effort gathered in New Orleans to remember a generation that is rapidly disappearing.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
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At the Union the meat is still cut in-house and aged on a band saw, a practice Boyd says has all but disappeared elsewhere.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
Verb
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However, in November 2019 — less than two years after taking office and a month after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize — Abiy dissolved the EPRDF.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
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First, hydrogen dissolves and diffuses into the uranium metal.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
Verb
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While desirable homes still sell quickly, frenzied bidding wars have faded.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
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Deadheading Is Another Form Of Pinching Back Deadheading is similar to pinching back, but it is done once the flowers begin to fade.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disperse. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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