disperse
Translation
to scatter, to spread, to break up
Examples
Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The seeds are dispersed by the wind.
The seeds are dispersed by the wind.
The crowd began to disperse after the concert.
The crowd began to disperse after the concert.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to scatter (sth.) The wind dispersed the seeds.
(intransitive) to break up and go in different directions The crowd began to disperse.
Similar Words
Synonyms: scatter, spread, dissipate; Antonyms: gather, assemble, collect
Etymology
From Latin 'dis-' (apart, widely) + 'spargere' (to scatter).
Memory Tips
Think of 'dis-' meaning 'apart'. To disperse is to make things go far apart, like a crowd scattering.