intersperse

American  

[in-ter-spurs] / ˌɪn tərˈspɜrs /

verb (used with object)

interspersed, interspersing

1. to scatter here and there or place at intervals among other things.

   to intersperse flowers among shrubs.

   Synonyms:

   sprinkle, strew

2. to diversify with something placed or scattered at intervals.

   to intersperse a dull speech with interesting anecdotes.

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intersperse British  

/ ˌɪntəˈspɜːs, ˌɪntəˈspɜːsɪdlɪ, ˌɪntəˈspɜːʃən /

verb

1. to scatter or distribute among, between, or on

2. to diversify (something) with other things scattered here and there

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Other Word Forms

• interspersal noun
• interspersedly adverb
• interspersion noun
• uninterspersed adjective

Etymology

Origin of intersperse

1560–70; < Latin interspersus (past participle of interspergere to strew here and there), equivalent to inter- inter- + -spersus, combining form of sparsus, past participle of spargere to scatter; see disperse

Explanation

When you intersperse something, you scatter it with spaces in between, the way you intersperse vegetable seeds along a row in a garden bed. A wallpaper pattern might intersperse polka dots with bright flowers, and a writer might intersperse colorful details throughout an essay on the sword fishing industry. If you place things here and there, at intervals or leaving room between each item, you intersperse them. The Latin root is interspersus, "strewn or scattered," and in the mid-1500s the word intersperse was used mostly to mean "diversify by introducing things at intervals."

Example Sentences

While Hartman believes it’s best to intersperse the music between races, it’s not the only way to do things.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2024

In the fall of 2023, the museum will intersperse about a dozen of Hendricks’s portraits among its own holdings in an exhibition at its temporary home, Frick Madison.

From New York Times • Jul. 13, 2022

They intersperse the science with accounts of what forests have traditionally meant to the peoples who live in them.

From Washington Post • Apr. 1, 2022

The app takes bits from Anchor and bits from Clubhouse — users can host DJ sets, like they would a radio show, and intersperse songs with talk.

From The Verge • Oct. 26, 2021

They will believe anything you say, even when you intersperse unrealities, because they feel the truth of your experience.

From Take Me for a Ride: coming of age in a destructive cult by Laxer, Mark Eliot

Related Words

• infuse
• pepper
• sprinkle