scat·ter·ing
ˈska-tə-riŋ 
2
: something scattered: such as
a
: a small number or quantity interspersed here and there
a scattering of visitors
b
: the random change in direction of the particles constituting a beam or wave front due to collision with particles of the medium traversed
1
: going in various directions
2
: found or placed far apart and in no order
3
: divided among many or several
scattering votes
Examples of scattering in a Sentence
Noun
the scattering of the protesters suddenly turned violent and chaotic
a scattering of people in the mostly empty theater
Recent Examples on the Web
Ben Morse, CNN Money, 14 July 2025
Onlookers helped gather the scattering sheets for him and stuffed them, disheveled, back into the folder.
—John Carlisle, Freep.com, 11 July 2025
Nearly 300 million years ago China was a scattering of islands separated by the ancient Tethys and Asian oceans.
—Evan Howell, Scientific American, 13 June 2025
Its back has orange and gray markings with a scattering of darker brown blotches.
—Aspen Pflughoeft
updated July 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scattering
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Noun
He and the first lady were cheered upon their arrival at MetLife Stadium, but when he was shown on the video screens during the pre-game national anthem, Trump received a scattering of boos.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 14 July 2025
Onlookers helped gather the scattering sheets for him and stuffed them, disheveled, back into the folder.
—John Carlisle, Freep.com, 11 July 2025
Nearly 300 million years ago China was a scattering of islands separated by the ancient Tethys and Asian oceans.
—Evan Howell, Scientific American, 13 June 2025
Its back has orange and gray markings with a scattering of darker brown blotches.
—Aspen Pflughoeft
updated July 9, Miami Herald, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scattering
Cite this Entry
“Scattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scattering. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scattering
1 of 2 noun
scat·ter·ing
ˈskat-ə-riŋ
1
: an act or process in which something scatters or is scattered
2
: something scattered
especially
: a small number or amount placed or found here and there
a scattering of visitors
scattering
2 of 2 adjective1
: going in various directions
2
: found or placed far apart and in no pattern
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