strew

verb

ˈstrü 

strewed; strewed or strewn ˈstrün  ; strewing

transitive verb

1

: to spread by scattering

2

: to cover by or as if by scattering something

strewing the highways with litter

3

: to become dispersed over as if scattered

4

: to spread abroad : disseminate

Synonyms

• spray
• sprinkle
• dot
• pepper

Examples of strew in a Sentence

She strewed the birdseed on the ground.

sidewalks strewed with trash left by the parade watchers

Recent Examples on the Web

Her poems are strewn with festivity. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025

Photographs from the scene showed a red helicopter upside down in the middle of the highway strewn with wreckage as first responders treated the injured. —Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

Several piles of pallets were strewn at different points in the alley, which has a constant smell of trash and grease. —Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 6 Oct. 2025

For just $8, this Amazon-favorite luggage scale could’ve prevented a lot of headache and stress that comes with having your personal items strewn out at the airport. —Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English strewen, strowen, from Old English strewian, strēowian; akin to Old High German strewen to strew, Latin struere to heap up, sternere to spread out, Greek stornynai

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for strew

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

strew

verb

ˈstrü 

strewed; strewed or strewn ˈstrün  ; strewing

1

: to spread (as seeds) by scattering

2

: to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on

strewing the highways with litter

3

: to spread around as if sowing seeds : disseminate