scatter
verb
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Definition of scatter
(Entry 1 of 2)
scatter
nounDefinition of scatter (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from scatter
Verb
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noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for scatter
Synonyms: Verb
clear out, disband, dispel, disperse, dissipate, squander
Synonyms: Noun
couple, few, handful, scattering, smatter, smattering, sprinkle, sprinkling
Antonyms: Verb
assemble, cluster, collect, concentrate, congregate, gather, ingather
Antonyms: Noun
army, crowd, flock, gazillion, horde, host, jillion, kazillion, legion, loads, many, mountain, multitude, oodles, scads, thousands, zillion
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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
Their beehive tents were scattered across a stony valley. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Going Off-Grid in Namibia," 21 Dec. 2018 The rest of the guesses were scattered between these two extremes, with the average estimate being 2099 — 81 years from now. — James Vincent, The Verge, "This is when AI’s top researchers think artificial general intelligence will be achieved," 27 Nov. 2018 The children have been scattered to shelters around the country. — Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, "Fort Bliss in Texas may house 12,000 migrants detained at the border," 27 June 2018 Toys were scattered around the rooftop kindergarten. — Darran Anderson, The Atlantic, "The Cities That Never Existed," 17 June 2018 Add the milk all at once by scattering it over the dough. — Sarah Fritsche, San Francisco Chronicle, "Recipe: Edna Lewis’ Lard Biscuits," 1 June 2018 The trees are adorned with white twinkly lights; little crowns are scattered everywhere; and the staircases are covered in greenery with multicolored ornaments. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "The Royal Family's Christmas Decorations Are the Polar Opposite of the White House's," 4 Dec. 2018 Its 50 keys are scattered among luxury rustic-style cottages that sit alongside a creek on 3,000 pristine acres that are yours for hiking, skeet shooting, fishing and ranching. — Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "If You're Skiing the Rockies This Winter, Read This First," 4 Dec. 2018 Cushions are scattered on soft seating and plain white and wooden tables have been replaced with attractive mosaic ones. — Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Tells the Women of the Hubb Community Kitchen She's So "Happy" to Be Pregnant," 21 Nov. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Dopamine is the chemical that fosters learning and memory, so the novelty of doing something new scatters the chemical throughout your brain. — Denise Foley, Good Housekeeping, "What's Your Emotional Eating Quotient?," 10 Oct. 2012 Before every show, Owen E. Parmele (top), the head of the show’s props department, scatters trash all over the set. — New York Times, "Ravaged but Resilient: Creating ‘Once on This Island’," 27 Apr. 2018 Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart. — House Beautiful, "Ina Garten's Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts," 28 Aug. 2010 Air on Earth scatters shorter-wavelength light, including most of the blues and greens (which trickle down to us on the planet’s surface), leaving the longer reds to spotlight the moon. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "The Century’s Longest Lunar Eclipse Will Shroud the Moon This Month," 2 July 2018 This employs long-wavelength light to penetrate into and scatter from biological tissues, building up a three-dimensional picture of that tissue. — The Economist, "The eye's structure holds information about the health of the mind," 28 June 2018 Toss shallots with remaining teaspoon oil and scatter around chicken. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Whatever You Do, Do NOT Tell Ina Garten About Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Soup Hack," 22 May 2018 Generously drizzle with oil and scatter chile over. — Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit, "Wilted Greens in Tomato-Bacon Broth," 28 May 2018 Toss shallots with remaining teaspoon oil and scatter around chicken. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Whatever You Do, Do NOT Tell Ina Garten About Jennifer Garner’s Favorite Soup Hack," 22 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scatter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for scatter
scatter
verb
English Language Learners Definition of scatter
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to cause (things or people) to separate and go in different directions
: to separate and go in different directions
: to place or leave (things) in different places
scatter
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of scatter (Entry 2 of 2)
: a small number or group of things placed or found apart from each other
See the full definition for scatter in the English Language Learners Dictionary
scatter
verb
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Kids Definition of scatter
scatter
transitive verb
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Medical Definition of scatter
(Entry 1 of 2)
scatter
nounMedical Definition of scatter (Entry 2 of 2)
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