DISPERSE Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'disperse' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of disperse are dispel , dissipate , and scatter . While all these words mean "to cause to separate or break up," disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group. // police dispersed the crowd

Q: When can 'dispel' be used instead of 'disperse'?

Although the words dispel and disperse have much in common, dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering. // an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt

Q: When could 'dissipate' be used to replace 'disperse'?

The meanings of dissipate and disperse largely overlap; however, dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance. // the fog was dissipated by the morning sun

Q: When would 'scatter' be a good substitute for 'disperse'?

The words scatter and disperse can be used in similar contexts, but scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions. // the bowling ball scattered the pins

disperse

verb

di-ˈspərs

Definition of disperse

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

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

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb disperse differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of disperse are dispel, dissipate, and scatter. While all these words mean "to cause to separate or break up," disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group.

police dispersed the crowd

When can dispel be used instead of disperse?

Although the words dispel and disperse have much in common, dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering.

an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt

When could dissipate be used to replace disperse?

The meanings of dissipate and disperse largely overlap; however, dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance.

the fog was dissipated by the morning sun

When would scatter be a good substitute for disperse?

The words scatter and disperse can be used in similar contexts, but scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions.

the bowling ball scattered the pins

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 Best Time to Visit The best time to visit Glenwood Springs is in August and September, when the weather cools, the crowds start to disperse, and prime hot springs season begins. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 20 Aug. 2026 Since the fish dispersed, Bucky Dent and the other bears must also spread out. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026 Running battles erupted throughout downtown as security forces used tear gas and batons to disperse crowds, while protesters responded with barricades, stones, and slingshots. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026 Open clusters are young clusters of stars that were born together and are now gradually dispersing, and Auriga’s open clusters are some of the best and brightest of their kind in the night sky. — Gemma Lavender, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disperse

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disperse

Verb

Breman noted that price shocks stemming from the Middle East conflict have not fully dissipated.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
The report from the weather service states the data shows the tornado dissipated around Oak Glen Nature Preserve.

— Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of dissipate

Verb

During the eclipse, Earth’s shadow will appear reddish orange on the lunar surface because of the way Earth’s atmosphere scatters light from the sun.

— Denise Chow, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Popular and literary myth tells that when martyrs die on the soil, the earth receiving their blood will give forth new fighters, thus the roses scattered on the cracking mud.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of scatter

Verb

The committee would eventually disband without an answer, despite the fact that Selig had helped engineer the sale of the team in 2005 to Lew Wolff, an old University of Wisconsin frat buddy, and John Fisher.

— Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
But August eventually passed, and by September our collective had disbanded for college.

— Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of disband

Verb

Up to half of the more than 200,000 mountain glaciers — vast, slow moving rivers of ice that creep across the world’s peaks — are expected to disappear by the end of this century, even if ambitious climate goals are met.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Among the habitats Steinbach filmed are tidal floodplain forests, a landscape type that has largely disappeared in Europe.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of disappear

Verb

When the reactor is running, aluminum dissolved within the alloy moves toward the outer surface of the metal components.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
After his spaceflight, Jähn led East Germany's new Space Training Centre at Eggersdorf near Strausberg until 1990, when the East German Air Force was dissolved.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of dissolve

Verb

Bitcoin has been in a prolonged slump since October, and BTIG noted that a similar surge in January 2023 initially faded before the cryptocurrency found support around its 200-day moving average.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
The crimson hue that may have been visible at the height of the eclipse will gradually fade as the crescent of the lunar disk exposed to direct sunlight grows, and normality reasserts itself over the natural satellite.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of fade

Browse Nearby Words

dispersals

disperse

dispersed

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“Disperse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disperse. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of disperse

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