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 Anti-Japanese sentiment had motivated Amino’s move from Los Angeles to New York in 1935; the US deemed East Coast Japanese populations as more dispersed and thus less of a threat. — Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026 Federal wildlife managers euthanized 28,000 animals in California in 2025 and dispersed about 1 million more as part of a nationwide program meant to control invasive species and minimize danger to people, pets and livestock, new data shows. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Kettling was popularized in the 1990s, when activists started using information technologies to outmaneuver police attempting to disperse their protests. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 The flurries of pigment inside them were dispersed by bursts of air delivered through the base of the box. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disperse

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disperse

Verb

During the filming of an explosion scene featuring him alongside his co-star Leonard Nimoy, the stage doors were accidentally left closed, preventing the blast from dissipating properly.

— Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Storage casks therefore include ventilation openings that help dissipate heat.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of dissipate

Verb

Annie is the latest in a line of women, some 300 in all, scattered across the United States and in at least nine other countries, who in the last two decades have defied the Catholic Church to be ordained as deacons, priests and bishops.

— Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Abadie estimated that about 20 Jews are scattered across the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of scatter

Verb

Mamdani pledged to disband a controversial NYPD unit, the Strategic Response Group, end the use of the gang database and implement a Department of Community Safety, which is currently operating as an office.

— Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 13 Oct. 2026
By 2002, the group had disbanded, but some of its members founded TOOOL and went on to launch yearly lock-picking competitions.

— Shayla Love, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of disband

Verb

Daily housekeeping hasn’t disappeared, but travelers can no longer assume every property follows the same schedule.

— Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
What concerns me is how quickly those everyday conveniences can disappear when something goes wrong with a retailer's technology.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of disappear

Verb

The home’s dissolving interior boundary suits an artist who has spent her career questioning where humans fit within the vastness of space and time.

— Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
His decree also dissolved the national legislature and state governments.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of dissolve

Verb

That terrible scenario that doesn't easily fade definitely caused everyone to believe Quinn was at it again on Monday night – messing up again, forgetting that the last play was fourth down instead of third down.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Yet, in the urban South, recent linguistic research finds that the drawl’s most salient features are starting to fade on the lips of young speakers.

— Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 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 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of disperse

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