Intersperse Meaning
/ˌɪntəˈspɜːs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo mix two things irregularly, placing things of one kind among things of other.
verbTo scatter or insert something into or among other things.
Sentence Examples
Wildflowers began to intersperse the lawn.
Trees intersperse the urban landscape.
You should intersperse the flowers among the green bushes.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The photographer decided to ____ a few black-and-white photos among the colorful ones to create contrast.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The chef decided to ____ fresh herbs throughout the salad to add a unique and vibrant flavor.
Word Origin & History
From Latin interspergō, interspersus.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The photographer decided to ____ a few black-and-white photos among the colorful ones to create contrast.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The chef decided to ____ fresh herbs throughout the salad to add a unique and vibrant flavor.