[dis.perse] vb dis.persed ; dis.pers.ing [ME dysparsen, fr. MF disperser, fr. L dispersus, pp. of dispergere to scatter, fr. dis- + spargere to scatter--more at spark] vt (14c) 1 a: to cause to break up "police dispersed the crowd" b: to cause to become spread widely c: to cause to evaporate or vanish "sunlight dispersing the mist"
2: to spread or distribute from a fixed or constant source: as a archaic: disseminate b: to subject (as light) to dispersion c: to distribute (as fine particles) more or less evenly throughout a medium ~ vi 1: to break up in random fashion "the crowd dispersed on request"
2. a: to become dispersed b: dissipate, vanish "the fog dispersed toward morning" syn see scatter -- dis.persed.ly adv -- dis.pers.er n -- dis.pers.ible adj