English vocabulary · C1
Intersperse
/ˌɪntərˈspɜːrs/ · v.
Intersperse means to put different things between other things in many places. The new things appear here and there through the whole group.
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Example sentences
- Red flowers intersperse the white ones.
- Photos are interspersed through the book.
Word origin and roots
from Latin
- inter — between (from Latin)
- sperse — scatter (from Latin)
Synonyms and nuances
- SCATTER — place here and there (Put Far Apart)
- SPRINKLE — put small bits around (Add Small Amounts)
- MIX — join different things (Put Different Things Together)
Words with the same root
sperse — scatter
- disperse — spread apart
- dispersal — act of spreading
- dispersion — spread over an area
Lesson notes
Intersperse means to put different things between other things in many places. The new things appear here and there through the whole group.
Related: scatter, sprinkle, mix. Use Intersperse when one thing goes between others.
Red flowers intersperse the white ones. Photos are interspersed through the book.
Inter means between. Sperse means scatter. Scatter one kind between another: intersperse.