scatter

1 of 2

verb

scat·​ter ˈska-tər How to pronounce scatter (audio)
scattered; scattering; scatters

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause to separate widely
b
: to cause to vanish
2
archaic : to fling away heedlessly : squander
3
: to distribute irregularly
4
: to sow by casting in all directions : strew
5
a
: to reflect irregularly and diffusely
b
: to cause (a beam of radiation) to diffuse or disperse
6
: to divide into ineffectual small portions

intransitive verb

1
: to separate and go in various directions : disperse
2
: to occur or fall irregularly or at random
scatterer noun

scatter

2 of 2

noun

1
: the act of scattering
2
: a small quantity or number irregularly distributed or strewn about : scattering
3
: the state or extent of being scattered
especially : dispersion
Choose the Right Synonym for scatter

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.

the bowling ball scattered the pins

disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group.

police dispersed the crowd

dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance.

the fog was dissipated by the morning sun

dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering.

an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt

Examples of scatter in a Sentence

Verb The wind scattered the pile of leaves. The marbles scattered across the floor. She scattered the books on the table. He scatters his toys all around the house. Noun played before only a scatter of spectators in that huge stadium
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Clients can customize their orders, with eggs distributed in their front or back yards, hidden or scattered. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 Roughly 30 people wearing red shirts and veils staged a silent performance, scattering fabric petals bearing the names of Gazans killed by Israel’s military. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 Behind a tall rock wall, the campus was a lovely oasis: ibises flew around acacia trees that were scattered among a series of small, squat buildings with red tile roofs, each housing a couple of grades. Emma Green, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 This week, three laborers were killed and two others injured by yet another mine, leaving a truck split in half and human remains scattered across a dusty road. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 But to Iowa alums and fans scattered across the country, this moment is about more than records. Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024 Hamas has said that the hostages are being held by multiple militant groups − the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Mujahideen Brigades and Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades are among those claiming custody − scattered around Gaza and that a cease-fire is required to track all the hostages down. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 The 36-year-old Queens resident was charged in the 2018 death of Brandy Odom, a 26-year-old whose body was found scattered in a park in Brooklyn. CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024 In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Firestone, Topping, West, Kennett and 22 co-authors laid out the evidence from 25 sites scattered across North America. Zach St. George, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
When the moon moves into the inner part of Earth's shadow, or umbra, according to NASA, some of the sunlight entering Earth's skies scatters before reaching the moon's surface. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Feb. 2024 There are many kinds of historical stone features – waste piles, cairns, scatters, lines, kilns, gravestones, cobbles, patios and more. Robert M. Thorson, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2023 Rapid-fire gunshots can be heard and people on the sidewalk scatter. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 25 Aug. 2023 His property is exactly the aesthetic the F & F production people are trying to fake, with a genuine scatter of cars and cycles, a school bus, an old Volvo, mysteriously torched. Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 5 Jan. 2023 When the water is stagnant and still, the bass scatter, suspend, and become hard to catch. Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 18 Apr. 2023 And follows in the trail the scatter of light. Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2022 While there’s some scatter, the pattern of better results in late afternoon is very pronounced, with a lot of thick, dark, non-dashed lines. Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 19 Sep. 2021 There is, of course, plenty of scatter: the study applied to real-world runners in real-world marathons. Richard A. Lovett, Outside Online, 6 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scatter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English scateren, schateren to disperse, break up, destroy; akin to Middle Dutch schaderen to scatter

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1642, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scatter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near scatter

Cite this Entry

“Scatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scatter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

scatter

verb
scat·​ter
ˈskat-ər
1
: to cause to separate widely
wind scattered the dry leaves
2
: to place or leave here and there
scattered their toys all over the house
3
: to sow widely and without pattern
4
: to separate and go in different directions
the crowd scattered
5
: to occur or fall without pattern
lakes scattered everywhere in the hills

Medical Definition

scatter

1 of 2 transitive verb
scat·​ter ˈskat-ər How to pronounce scatter (audio)
: to cause (a beam of radiation) to diffuse or disperse

scatter

2 of 2 noun
1
: the act of scattering
2
: the state or extent of being scattered
especially : scattering

More from Merriam-Webster on scatter

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