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verb

dispersar

scatter

Hacer que varias cosas o personas se separen y queden repartidas en distintos lugares.

Definition & meaning

Dispersar is a Spanish verb meaning to disperse, scatter, spread out, or break up.

It can be used in several related ways:

  1. To scatter or spread things or people over an area
    It describes separating something that was gathered together.

    • El viento dispersó las hojas — “The wind scattered the leaves.”

  2. To break up a group or crowd
    It can mean causing people to leave or move apart, often through authority or force.

    • La policía dispersó a la multitud — “The police dispersed the crowd.”

  3. To diffuse or distribute something widely
    It may refer to information, light, smoke, or other things spreading in different directions.

    • La luz se dispersa en muchas direcciones — “The light disperses in many directions.”

The reflexive form dispersarse means to disperse, scatter, or spread out oneself.

Grammar & Word origin

Dispersar is a regular -ar verb. It is normally transitive when someone or something disperses another thing:

  • dispersar el humo — “to disperse the smoke”

The reflexive form is dispersarse:

  • La multitud se dispersó — “The crowd dispersed.”

It comes from Latin dispersare, related to dispergere, meaning “to scatter” or “to spread apart.” The prefix dis- conveys separation or movement in different directions. Related Spanish forms include disperso (“scattered,” “dispersed”) and dispersión (“dispersion”).

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

  • esparcir — “to scatter” or “to spread.” It is especially common for distributing physical objects over an area, while dispersar can also apply to crowds, groups, light, or information.
  • distribuir — “to distribute.” It emphasizes dividing or assigning things among different places or people, rather than simply causing them to move apart.
  • separar — “to separate.” It focuses on making things or people no longer remain together and is broader than dispersar.
  • desparramar — “to spill,” “scatter,” or “spread around.” It is more informal and often suggests disorder.
  • ahuyentar — “to drive away” or “scare away.” It applies mainly to people or animals, especially when they are forced to leave.

Antonyms

  • reunir — “to bring together” or “to reunite.” It is a direct opposite when people or things are dispersed.
  • juntar — “to join,” “put together,” or “gather.” It is more general and often less formal than reunir.
  • concentrar — “to concentrate” or “to bring into one place.” It is the opposite when something is spread over several places.
  • agrupar — “to group” or “to assemble.” It emphasizes forming an organized group.

Common phrases & collocations

  • dispersar una multitud — to disperse a crowd
  • dispersar a los manifestantes — to disperse the demonstrators
  • dispersar el humo — to disperse the smoke
  • dispersar la niebla — to disperse the fog
  • dispersarse por la zona — to spread out across the area
  • la multitud se dispersó — the crowd dispersed

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Examples

El viento dispersó las hojas por todo el parque.verb

The wind scattered the leaves all over the park.

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