disseminate
gb/dɪsˈɛmənˌeɪt/ us/dɪsˈɛmənˌeɪt/
C1
English
~ 6300
Senses
0 senses
Verb
formal
C1
action
1
spread information or ideas widely
To give or send information or ideas to many people so that a lot of people know them.
Usage pattern:
to disseminate [information/ideas] (to/among [people/group])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "disseminate" in casual speech where "spread" or "share" sounds more natural. "Disseminate" is mostly used in formal or written contexts (reports, academic writing, professional communication). Another common error is using it with people as the direct object (e.g. *disseminate people*); it should normally take information, ideas, or messages as the object, and people appear after a preposition: "disseminate information to the public" or "disseminate ideas among students."
Synonyms
spread (More common and neutral; used in both formal and informal contexts, while "disseminate" sounds more formal or academic.)
|
circulate (Often used for documents or information being passed around within a group, sometimes less forcefully wide than "disseminate".)
|
broadcast (Suggests sending information to a very large audience, especially by TV, radio, or online; less academic-sounding than "disseminate".)
Antonyms
withhold (Focuses on deliberately not giving information that could have been shared.)
|
suppress (Emphasizes actively stopping information or ideas from becoming known.)
Collocations
disseminate information
|disseminate ideas
|disseminate knowledge
|disseminate findings
|disseminate research
|disseminate propaganda
Themes
communication
|media
|education
|business
Examples
- The organization works to disseminate accurate health information to rural communities.
- Universities have a duty to disseminate their research findings to the wider public.
- The report was disseminated to all employees via email.
- Social media can rapidly disseminate both reliable news and misinformation.
- The campaign aims to disseminate ideas about sustainable living among young people.
Learner examples
- The school tries to disseminate important information to all parents.
- The group uses the internet to disseminate new ideas.
- The government disseminated safety messages after the storm.
- The company disseminated the results of the study to its workers.
- They created a website to disseminate knowledge about climate change.
Verb
technical
C2
action
2
spread seeds or spores widely
To spread seeds, pollen, or spores over a wide area, often by wind, water, or animals.
Usage pattern:
to disseminate [seeds/pollen/spores] (over [an area])
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this sense is usually technical or scientific and try to use it in everyday speech, where simpler verbs like "spread" or "scatter" are more natural. Another confusion is using it with large objects (e.g. *disseminate rocks*), but this sense is normally for very small units like seeds, spores, or pollen.
Synonyms
scatter (More general and common; suggests throwing or spreading things in different directions, not limited to biology.)
|
disperse (Technical or neutral term for spreading things over an area; used in many scientific contexts, not just plants.)
Antonyms
collect (Focuses on bringing scattered things together, the opposite of spreading them out.)
|
concentrate (Means to gather things into one place or a small area rather than spreading them widely.)
Collocations
disseminate seeds
|disseminate spores
|disseminate pollen
|disseminated by the wind
|disseminate over a wide area
Themes
science
|environment
|biology
|nature
Examples
- Many plants rely on animals to disseminate their seeds over long distances.
- Fungal spores are often disseminated through the air.
- The grass species is able to disseminate its seeds efficiently in dry, open habitats.
- Pollen can be disseminated by insects or by the wind.
- The study examined how invasive plants are disseminated along river systems.
Learner examples
- The wind helps to disseminate the seeds of this tree.
- Birds disseminate the plant’s seeds when they eat its fruit.
- The fungus disseminates its spores into the air.
- Water can disseminate seeds from one place to another.
- Insects help disseminate pollen between flowers.
Verb
technical
C2
action
3
spread disease or pathogens widely
In medical language, to spread an illness, infection, or germs from one place in the body to many other parts, or from one area to a larger area.
Usage pattern:
to disseminate [infection/pathogens] (through [the body/population])
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this technical medical sense with the general information-related sense and try to use it about messages or news in a medical sentence where doctors would already understand it as referring to disease spread. In medical writing, "disseminated" is very common as an adjective (e.g. "disseminated infection"), which can also cause confusion about the base verb form.
Synonyms
spread (General verb used in both everyday and medical contexts; less specifically technical than "disseminate".)
|
propagate (Technical term often used for microorganisms or viruses increasing in number or moving through a system.)
Antonyms
contain (In medical or public health contexts, means to stop an infection or disease from spreading further.)
|
localize (Medical term meaning to keep a disease or infection limited to one area rather than letting it spread.)
Collocations
disseminate infection
|disseminate pathogens
|disseminated disease
|disseminate throughout the body
|hematogenously disseminated
Themes
medicine
|science
|health
Examples
- The virus can disseminate rapidly through the bloodstream.
- If untreated, the infection may disseminate to the central nervous system.
- The study examined how prions disseminate within the host organism.
- Bacteria disseminated from the primary site and caused multiple organ failure.
- Public health measures are designed to limit the ability of the pathogen to disseminate in the community.
Learner examples
- The disease can disseminate through the blood to other organs.
- If the infection disseminates, it becomes much harder to treat.
- Doctors tried to stop the cancer cells from disseminating in the body.
- The bacteria disseminate from the first place of infection to other parts.
- Vaccination helps to stop the virus from disseminating in the population.
Grammar
Dictionary form
disseminate
IPA
GB/dɪsˈɛmənˌeɪt/
US/dɪsˈɛmənˌeɪt/
Syllables & stress
dis - sem - in - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (sem)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: disseminate
- 3rd Person Singular: disseminates
- Present Participle: disseminating
- Past: disseminated
Word family
Forms
disseminates
verb
disseminating
verb
disseminated
verb
Core family
dissemination
noun C1
Related words
disseminator
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.