Dictionary

intersperse en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌɪntəˈspɜːs/ (UK)
• (US) audio
• audio Queensland
• /ˌɪntɚˈspɝs/ (Canada, US)
• /ˌɪntəˈspɜːs/ (Australia)

Etymology

From Latin interspergō, interspersus.

Meanings

1. To mix two things irregularly, placing things of one kind among things of other.
   • For example, a commercial sequence might intersperse pictures of a senator working in his office with shots of ordinary Americans happily working in various walks of life. 1991, Frank Biocca, Television and Political Advertising: Signs, codes, and images, page 76:
2. (transitive) To scatter or insert something into or among other things.
   • Kjelsås (six miles) marks the end of the suburbs, and the line immediately plunges into Nordmarka. This vast untamed area of forest and mountain (much of it over 2,000 ft. above sea level), interspersed with innumerable lakes, large and small, is known as Oslo's playground. 1955 July, M. D. Greville, “To the Valdres by Rail”, in Railway Magazine, pages 457-458:
   • Goffin is a prose text interspersed with short lists of typical terms exemplifying certain sub-classes of Indian English lexis. 2014, James Lambert, “Diachronic stability in Indian English lexis”, in World Englishes, page 116:
   • When writing, I intersperse details.
   • Review tasks are particularly useful to intersperse when students are experiencing considerable failure. 1985, Jane Y. Murdock, Barbara V. Hartmann, Communication and language intervention program (CLIP) for individuals with moderate to severe handicaps, page 46:
3. (transitive) To diversify by placing or inserting other things among something.
   • Mother Nature interspersed the petunias with a few dandelions, but it was a pretty garden, anyway.

Forms

Deriveds

interspersal · intersperser

Relateds

interspersion · interspersed

Synonyms

thread

Translations (37)

de auflockern (to diversify by placing or inserting other things among something) · sv spränga in (to mix two things irregularly) · ru разбавля́ть (to diversify by placing or inserting other things among something) · de daruntermischen (to insert something into other things) · cs promíchat (to mix two things irregularly) · de durchsetzen (to diversify by placing or inserting other things among something) · ru помещать (to insert something into other things) · bg разнообразявам (to diversify by placing or inserting other things among something) · hy բազմազանել (to diversify by placing or inserting other things among something) · hy ցրիվ տալ (to mix two things irregularly) · de mischen (to mix two things irregularly) · pt intercalar (to mix two things irregularly) · gd eadar-sgaoil (to mix two things irregularly) · hy շաղ տալ (to mix two things irregularly) · de abwechseln (to mix two things irregularly) · fi sirotella (to insert something into other things) · de einstreuen (to insert something into other things) · bg разпръсвам (to insert something into other things) · fr entremêler (to mix two things irregularly) · de vermischen (to mix two things irregularly) · sv blanda in (to diversify by placing or inserting other things among something) · fi elävöittää (to diversify by placing or inserting other things among something) · de durchmischen (to diversify by placing or inserting other things among something) · ru сме́шивать (to mix two things irregularly) · gd eadar-sgap (to mix two things irregularly) · pt intercalar (to diversify by placing or inserting other things among something) · es entremeter (to insert something into other things) · fi sirotella (to mix two things irregularly) · es interserir (to insert something into other things) · es entreverar (to mix two things irregularly) · ru перемежать (to insert something into other things) · ru вкрапля́ть (to insert something into other things) · el διανθίζω με (to insert something into other things) · fi lomittaa (to insert something into other things) · hy ցրել (to mix two things irregularly) · es entregerir (to insert something into other things) · fr intercaler (to insert something into other things)