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Expel vs Disperse - What's the difference?

expel | disperse |

As verbs the difference between expel and disperse

is that expel is to eject or erupt while disperse is .

expel

English

Verb

  • To eject or erupt.
  • (obsolete) To fire (a bullet, arrow etc.).
  • * , II.xi:
  • But to the ground the idle quarrell fell: / Then he another and another did expell .
  • To remove from membership.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 14, author=Angelique Chrisafis
  • , title=Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism, work=Guardian citation , page=, passage=She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party.}}
  • To deport.
  • Synonyms

    * (l), (l), (l), (l), turf out

    Antonyms

    * impel

    disperse

    English

    Verb

  • (intransitive) To scatter in different directions
  • The Jews are dispersed among all nations.
  • * Bible, Proverbs xv. 7
  • The lips of the wise disperse knowledge.
  • * Cowper
  • Two lions, in the still, dark night, / A herd of beeves disperse .
  • (intransitive) To break up and disappear; to dissipate
  • (intransitive) To disseminate
  • (physics, transitive, intransitive) To separate rays of light etc. according to wavelength; to refract
  • (intransitive) To distribute throughout
  • Usage notes

    * Do not confuse with the monetary word disburse, despite similarity.

    Anagrams

    * * ----