Disperse

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Disperse \Dis*perse"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Dispersed}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Dispersing}.] [L. dispersus, p. p. of dispergere to
     strew, scatter. See {Sparse}.]
     1. To scatter abroad; to drive to different parts; to
        distribute; to diffuse; to spread; as, the Jews are
        dispersed among all nations.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              The lips of the wise disperse knowledge. --Prov. xv.
                                                    7.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Two lions, in the still, dark night,
              A herd of beeves disperse.            --Cowper.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To scatter, so as to cause to vanish; to dissipate; as, to
        disperse vapors.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Dispersed are the glories.            --Shak.
  
     Syn: To scatter; dissipate; dispel; spread; diffuse;
          distribute; deal out; disseminate.
          [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Disperse \Dis*perse"\, v. i.
     1. To separate; to go or move into different parts; to
        vanish; as, the company dispersed at ten o'clock; the
        clouds disperse.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To distribute wealth; to share one's abundance with
        others.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor. --Ps.
                                                    cxii. 9.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  disperse
       v 1: distribute loosely; "He scattered gun powder under the
            wagon" [syn: {scatter}, {sprinkle}, {dot}, {dust}]
       2: to cause to separate and go in different directions; "She
          waved her hand and scattered the crowds" [syn: {dissipate},
           {dispel}, {break up}, {scatter}]
       3: move away from each other; "The crowds dispersed"; "The
          children scattered in all directions when the teacher
          approached"; [syn: {dissipate}, {scatter}, {spread out}]
       4: cause to separate; "break up kidney stones"; "disperse
          particles" [syn: {break up}, {scatter}]
       5: cause to become widely known; "spread information";
          "circulate a rumor"; "broadcast the news" [syn: {circulate},
           {circularize}, {circularise}, {distribute}, {disseminate},
           {propagate}, {broadcast}, {spread}, {diffuse}, {pass
          around}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  189 Moby Thesaurus words for "disperse":
     administer, atomize, be consumed, be gone, bend, bestrew, bias,
     branch, branch out, break into pieces, break to pieces, break up,
     broadcast, cease, cease to be, cease to exist, circulate,
     circumfuse, crash, crook, crunch, crush, curve, cut to pieces,
     deactivate, deal, deal out, debrief, deflect, dematerialize, demob,
     demobilize, demolish, depart, deploy, detach, deviate, die,
     die away, die out, diffract, diffuse, disappear, disband, disburse,
     discharge, disintegrate, disjoin, dismiss, disorganize, dispel,
     dispense, dispose, dispread, disrupt, disseminate, dissipate,
     dissolve, distort, distribute, diverge, divert, divide, divvy,
     do a fade-out, dogleg, dole, dole out, dwindle, ease, ease off,
     emanate, erode, evanesce, evaporate, exit, expand, extend, fade,
     fade away, fade out, fan, fan out, fission, flare, flee, fly,
     fragment, free, give out, go, go away, go separate ways, grind,
     hairpin, hide, issue, leave no trace, leave the scene, let go,
     let up, loose, loosen, make mincemeat of, measure out, melt,
     melt away, mete, mete out, mince, muster out, open, open up,
     outspread, outstretch, overgrow, overrun, overscatter, oversow,
     overspread, parcel out, part, part company, partition, pass,
     pass around, pass away, pass out, pay out, perish, portion out,
     propagate, publish, pull, pulverize, radiate, ramify, ray, refract,
     relax, release, retail, retire from sight, rout, scatter,
     send away, send off, separate, shatter, shiver, sink, sink away,
     skew, slack, slack off, slacken, smash, smash up, sow,
     sow broadcast, splay, splinter, split up, spoon out, spraddle,
     sprangle, sprawl, spread, spread like wildfire, spread out, squash,
     squish, strew, suffer an eclipse, turn, twist, unfold, unglue,
     unleash, unstick, utter, vanish, vanish from sight, warp, waste,
     waste away, wear away, widen, zigzag