to spread or distribute (something) widely
Air currents disperse the pollen
to break up (a crowd, etc)
to cause (fog, etc) to evaporate or vanish
to break up (something) into fine particles
The violence of the waves dispersed the oil without damage to bird life
in physics, to separate (light) into its constituent wavelengths
(usu in passive) in chemistry, to spread particles of (a substance) evenly throughout a colloid or suspension
to break up in random fashion
The protesters dispersed as armed police approached
to become dispersed; to dissipate or vanish
The fog dispersed towards morning
dispersal noun
disperser noun
dispersible adj
dispersive /-siv/ adj
[Middle English dysparsen via French from Latin dispersus, past part. of dispergere to scatter, from dis- + spargere to scatter]