dispersed

past tense of disperse
1
as in dissipated
to go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole the crowd dispersed once the show ended

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
as in disbanded
to cease to exist or cause to cease to exist as a group or organization the campaign staff dispersed almost immediately after the election

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dispersed This jagged microscopic debris, easily dispersed by meteorite impacts and rocket exhaust, is corrosive, abrasive and adhesive. — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026 Anti-Japanese sentiment had motivated Amino’s move from Los Angeles to New York in 1935; the US deemed East Coast Japanese populations as more dispersed and thus less of a threat. — Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026 Federal wildlife managers euthanized 28,000 animals in California in 2025 and dispersed about 1 million more as part of a nationwide program meant to control invasive species and minimize danger to people, pets and livestock, new data shows. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 The flurries of pigment inside them were dispersed by bursts of air delivered through the base of the box. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026 Five full bathrooms and a powder room are dispersed throughout the property. — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2026 Electron microscopy and elemental analysis revealed that the iron-containing molecules were dispersed across the carbon at atomic and molecular scales rather than forming larger particles. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026 These metals were dispersed when these first, or POP III, stars exploded at the end of their lives. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 25 Sep. 2026 In the weeks after the tragedy, the crowds of mourners dispersed and Clancy's world emptied out. — Ross Douthat, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispersed
Verb
  • The late-week threat is tied to a slow-moving front and remnant moisture from former Hurricane Polo, which dissipated over northwestern Mexico Tuesday night.
    — Newsroom Meteorologist, Houston Chronicle, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Cochran barely missed connecting with sophomore quarterback Cooper Crane for a touchdown on the first play, and Cochran’s nerves dissipated immediately.
    — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Diamonds are crystallized under tremendous pressure and heat deep inside the Earth and then thrust to the surface through volcanic activity before they’re scattered by water or wind.
    — LAURA TURBAY, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Tall silos and storage bins lay scattered across their vast property, most of them metal.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Someone who has seen these messages told me that another theme in the chat, which disbanded in January because its members had begun to quarrel, was an impulse to expand into broader anti-labor activities.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The city government is also restarting the interagency Security Infrastructure Working Group, which Mamdani said was disbanded in 2024.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Now that raw capability is no longer scarce, the excuse for hiding behind these proxies has quietly disappeared.
    — Vikas Verma, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The show centers on Michael Sleep (Pearce Quigley), who has been living like something of a hermit since his girlfriend Clea disappeared without a trace seven years ago.
    — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Though his predecessor dissolved the working group, former Mayor Eric Adams subsequently launched an antisemitism task force and the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 29 Sep. 2026
  • After becoming prime minister in 2019, Abiy dissolved the former ruling coalition and created a new one that the TPLF declined to join.
    — Alemayehu Fentaw Weldemariam, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The ultimate ambition is to scour records and surface new stories about people whose lives have faded away over the centuries.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Countless lonely young ones over the years have heard themselves in Team Dresch’s music, which is why their music has never faded away.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dispersed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispersed. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!