scatter

verb scat·ter \ ˈska-tər \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

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Examples: scatter in a Sentence

Definition of scatter

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

play \ˈska-tər-ər\ noun

See scatter defined for English-language learners

See scatter defined for kids

Examples of scatter in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of scatter from the Web

There have been scattered reports of firms hiring more ex-convicts.

— The Economist, "Worker shortages could heal America’s economy," 12 July 2018
Dropcloths were scattered about, as if in the home of an exacting man with work to be done.

— jeffrey fleishman, latimes.com, "Director Gus Van Sant continues his longtime exploration of addiction and recovery with 'Don’t Worry'," 6 July 2018
On Wednesday, Gore scattered four hits and two walks in his best start of a season that had been interrupted by two DL stints because of blisters.

— jeff sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "MacKenzie Gore collects first professional win," 5 July 2018
By that point, Kemp was more calamitous contract than viable player—a walking $43 million expenditure whose salary was scattered across the ledgers of the Dodgers, Padres and Braves.

— jon tayler, SI.com, "Matt Kemp Shed Weight, Ego and Injury to Thrive for the Club He Never Wanted to Leave," 4 July 2018
Without the magnet of Swift’s party to bring them to Watch Hill, Rhode Island (where billionaires tend to summer), her friends scattered throughout their luxury globes.

— refinery29.com, "What It Means If Taylor Swift Skips Another Fourth Of July Party," 3 July 2018
Shopping carts with clothes, food and personal items are scattered about.

— jessica boehm, azcentral, "West Valley leans on Phoenix for help with rising homeless population," 1 July 2018
There are scattered thunderstorms in the forecast for the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday afternoon.

— travis fedschun, Fox News, "Heat wave prompts warnings, bakes nation ahead of July 4 holiday," 1 July 2018
The others are scattered across 10 outings, an encouraging return to form.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros' Brad Peacock rebounds in June after a rough May," 30 June 2018

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of scatter

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

scatter Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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.