verb
disperse
dih-SPERS/dɪˈspɜːrs/
To spread out or cause to spread out over an area.
The wind disperses seeds from the dandelion.
Etymology
The same scattering root lies behind sparse. Here the prefix emphasizes movement apart in different directions, giving the image of things spreading out from a gathering.
In context
seed dispersal. Several thousand different plants depend on uh different sorts of insects to disperse their seeds
More examples
- The crowd dispersed.
- They are dispersing throughout the park.
- The mist disperses at noon.
Forms
disperse · disperses · dispersed · dispersing
dispersion noun — spreading over an area
Similar words
- scatter
- Spreads in different directions.
- distribute
- Spreads according to a plan or allocation.