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
as in scatters
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
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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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Recent Examples of disperses
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
One major reason that rich democracies are more stable is that capitalist development disperses human, financial, and organizational resources away from the state, generating countervailing power in society.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Aisles are swarmed, a cart is loaded up and pushed out the door past employees, merchandise is quickly moved into the car and the group disperses before police can arrive.
—Cailey Locklair, Baltimore Sun, 27 Jan. 2025
Others served on the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services’ Continuum of Care board, which disperses federal Housing and Urban Development dollars to support efforts to end homelessness.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2025
This financial influx is part of the broader compensation plan that disperses funds directly to impacted communities over the next 15 years.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025
The beauty of this device is its hard-working design, which disperses any essential oil of your choosing through the air while spurting a continuous mist of moisturizing vapor in the air.
—Sarah Madaus, Allure, 13 Jan. 2025
Outdoor meters are less of a risk for causing explosions because the methane disperses into the atmosphere.
—Jeff Brady, NPR, 13 Dec. 2024
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
One major reason that rich democracies are more stable is that capitalist development disperses human, financial, and organizational resources away from the state, generating countervailing power in society.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Aisles are swarmed, a cart is loaded up and pushed out the door past employees, merchandise is quickly moved into the car and the group disperses before police can arrive.
—Cailey Locklair, Baltimore Sun, 27 Jan. 2025
Others served on the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services’ Continuum of Care board, which disperses federal Housing and Urban Development dollars to support efforts to end homelessness.
—Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2025
This financial influx is part of the broader compensation plan that disperses funds directly to impacted communities over the next 15 years.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025
The beauty of this device is its hard-working design, which disperses any essential oil of your choosing through the air while spurting a continuous mist of moisturizing vapor in the air.
—Sarah Madaus, Allure, 13 Jan. 2025
Outdoor meters are less of a risk for causing explosions because the methane disperses into the atmosphere.
—Jeff Brady, NPR, 13 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Disperses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disperses. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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