dispersant
noun
dis·per·sant di-ˈspər-sənt 
: a dispersing agent
especially : a substance for promoting the formation and stabilization of a dispersion of one substance in another
dispersant adjective
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Police in dozens of cities have used teargas as a crowd dispersant since George Floyd died under a policeman’s knee in Minneapolis on May 25. 
Matt Sledge, NOLA.com, 10 Sep. 2020 Too much of a specific dispersant can affect catalyst performance and reduce fuel economy. Paul Weissler, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2020 Past administrations have waived environmental reviews after disasters that require real-time decisionmaking, like managing debris after Hurricane Katrina or deploying oil dispersant after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Scott Waldman, Scientific American, 5 June 2020 Sunlight impairs dispersants' ability to break up oil into droplets. Tristan Baurick, NOLA.com, 25 Apr. 2018 But the heavy use of dispersants during Deepwater Horizon stirred controversy both over its effectiveness and biological effects. Kevin Mcgill And Matthew Brown, Houston Chronicle, 21 Apr. 2020 The theory is that without the use of dispersants, the oil would have surfaced and been dealt with. al, 19 Apr. 2020 But the heavy use of dispersants during Deepwater Horizon stirred controversy both over its effectiveness and biological effects. Author: Kevin Mcgill And Matthew Brown, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Apr. 2020 In both lab experiments and fieldwork after Deepwater Horizon, scientists found that exposure to hydrocarbon compounds in oil and dispersants used to break down slicks during the spill harmed individual fish. F. Joel Fodrie, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2020 See More
Matt Sledge, NOLA.com, 10 Sep. 2020 Too much of a specific dispersant can affect catalyst performance and reduce fuel economy. Paul Weissler, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2020 Past administrations have waived environmental reviews after disasters that require real-time decisionmaking, like managing debris after Hurricane Katrina or deploying oil dispersant after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Scott Waldman, Scientific American, 5 June 2020 Sunlight impairs dispersants' ability to break up oil into droplets. Tristan Baurick, NOLA.com, 25 Apr. 2018 But the heavy use of dispersants during Deepwater Horizon stirred controversy both over its effectiveness and biological effects. Kevin Mcgill And Matthew Brown, Houston Chronicle, 21 Apr. 2020 The theory is that without the use of dispersants, the oil would have surfaced and been dealt with. al, 19 Apr. 2020 But the heavy use of dispersants during Deepwater Horizon stirred controversy both over its effectiveness and biological effects. Author: Kevin Mcgill And Matthew Brown, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Apr. 2020 In both lab experiments and fieldwork after Deepwater Horizon, scientists found that exposure to hydrocarbon compounds in oil and dispersants used to break down slicks during the spill harmed individual fish. F. Joel Fodrie, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
1941, in the meaning defined above