scatter

verb scat·ter \ ˈska-tər \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 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

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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

Like a fifth grader’s birthday party, Pringles, Hot Tamales, Pocky sticks and more were scattered about the tables.

— Vogue, "Darren Aronofsky, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Irons and More Attend BAM's Gala," 31 May 2018
There are also sketches, storyboards, and upwards of 100 other artifacts taken largely from Henson’s personal archives scattered about the space (his namesake company sits on La Brea at the former Charlie Chaplin lot).

— andy hermann, Los Angeles Magazine, "Historic Muppets and Other Jim Henson Artifacts Move Into the Skirball," 30 May 2018
Royal weddings have of course been the subject of worldwide fascination given the remnants of British culture scattered about the globe because of migration and colonization.

— lorraine ali, latimes.com, "The royal wedding: Fairy tale or 'Game of Thrones'?," 17 May 2018
There are scores of participating restaurants scattered about the state, though one could be forgiven for thinking of it as Phoenix Restaurant Week, given its heavy concentration in the Valley.

— dominic armato, azcentral, "Where to eat for Arizona Restaurant Week? Best places to go in Phoenix May 18-27," 16 May 2018
Other houses are modest, sitting on small lots with old cars and trucks scattered about.

— Washington Post, "Slopes of volcano offer lush, affordable piece of paradise," 8 May 2018
Other houses are modest, sitting on small lots with old cars and trucks scattered about.

— CBS News, "New vents spewing lava, gas open up in Hawaii neighborhood," 8 May 2018
Other houses are modest, sitting on small lots with old cars and trucks scattered about.

— caleb jones, The Christian Science Monitor, "For some, living in Hawaii's paradise means making peace with a volcano," 8 May 2018
Other houses are modest, sitting on small lots with old cars and trucks scattered about.

— caleb jones, Fox News, "Living on Hawaii volcano offers affordable paradise, risks," 8 May 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.