dissipate

/ˈdi-sə-ˌpāt/

Latin dissipatus, past participle of dissipare, dissupare, from dis- + supare to throw

verb

  1. to break up and drive off

  2. to cause to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish

  3. to lose (heat, electricity, etc.) irrecoverably

dissipate a crowd

one's sympathy is eventually dissipated

scatter disperse dissipate dispel mean to cause to separate or break up. scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions. disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group.