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dispersar

to disperse; to scatter

verb dees-pehr-SAHR Rare
Body & Health Movement

Origin: From Latin dispersare, frequentative of dispergere.

Also means

to break up (a crowd)

Usage Note

Dispersar is a regular -ar verb used both transitively (dispersar una multitud) and reflexively (dispersarse — to scatter, spread out). It is the standard verb for police dispersing a crowd and for light or particles scattering. The reflexive dispersarse also means to lose focus or go off-topic, which is a useful figurative sense.

Examples

"La policía tuvo que dispersar a los manifestantes."

Natural Translation

The police had to disperse the protesters.

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