disperses

present tense third-person singular of disperse
1
as in dissipates
to go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole the crowd dispersed once the show ended

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2
3
as in disbands
to cease to exist or cause to cease to exist as a group or organization the campaign staff dispersed almost immediately after the election

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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 disperses 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 Kirk is thrown backwards by the shot, which appeared to hit his neck, before the crowd disperses in panic. Richard Hall, Time, 11 Sep. 2025 Shortly after the party disperses, the play’s director is shot in the back of the head. Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025 Through emulsification, essentially gradually adding one ingredient to another while rapidly mixing, disperses tiny drops of one of those liquids into the other to form a uniform blend. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2025 And because the explosion is relatively faint, its debris disperses quickly, leaving behind little trace of a supernova. Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2025 The Rise Of New Innovation Powerhouses As talent disperses, new innovation centers are emerging with distinct advantages and specializations. Bernardo Saraiva, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025 When another car explodes down the driveway, the crowd disperses. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025 Safety remains a key advantage, as hydrogen disperses quickly, reducing operational risks. Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disperses
Verb
  • This dissipates the rotational energy.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 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
  • Outside of these moments, the audience scatters, the conversation splinters, and the mirage vanishes.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The moon appeared reddish due to the total lunar eclipse, which scatters sunflight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere.
    Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • And once the dog is found, the Search Party network disbands.
    Mike Feibus, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
  • DiCaprio plays Bob, a revolutionary in hiding with his teen daughter (Chase Infiniti) after his activist group the French 75 disbands in chaos.
    Matt Donnelly, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Based on the book by Slow Horses scribe Mick Herron, in Down Cemetery Road, when a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Trafford (Wilson) becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Thompson).
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
  • But when the owner's daughter disappears, he's tasked with finding her — and has a number of fun (wink) dalliances along the way.
    Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The real cost shows up when generations of struggle for fair representation are erased by a pen stroke that divides neighborhoods and dissolves communities of interest.
    Trena Turner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Set over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
    Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As anger fades into apathy and grief is aggravated by guilt, the public also chooses silence.
    Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025
  • With Ka-young’s help, Iblis is able to destroy the Flower of Eternal Life, which had allowed Khalid to live forever (at least until this point), and the villain fades to dust.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Disperses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disperses. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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