smattering
noun
smat·ter·ing
ˈsma-tə-riŋ 
1
: superficial piecemeal knowledge
a smattering of carpentry, house painting, bricklaying—
Alva Johnston
Alva Johnston2
: a small scattered number or amount
a smattering of spectators
Examples of smattering in a Sentence
She only knows a smattering of German.
a smattering of guests at the art exhibit
Recent Examples on the Web
San Francisco has one LensCrafters location on Market Street, a Best Buy about 8 miles south in Colma, and then a smattering of eyeglass retailers and Best Buy locations farther south.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
And the 2010 season was so flat that Auburn played Oregon for the national title with only a smattering of NFL players on either team (Granted, one was Cam Newton).
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Hamas to free the remaining hostages being held in Gaza during a combative speech at the UN General Assembly marked by walkouts and a smattering of American applause.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
The smattering of vintage styles will be sold online via a drop down on Banana Republic’s main site, and in its flagship in SoHo in Manhattan.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2025
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Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
And the 2010 season was so flat that Auburn played Oregon for the national title with only a smattering of NFL players on either team (Granted, one was Cam Newton).
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Hamas to free the remaining hostages being held in Gaza during a combative speech at the UN General Assembly marked by walkouts and a smattering of American applause.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
The smattering of vintage styles will be sold online via a drop down on Banana Republic’s main site, and in its flagship in SoHo in Manhattan.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smattering
Cite this Entry
“Smattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smattering. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smattering
noun
smat·ter·ing
ˈsmat-ə-riŋ
1
: a small amount of knowledge
a smattering of French
2
: a small scattered number
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