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
Despite his success, Wagler had only a smattering of interest from college programs.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2026
There was a smattering of boos at full time.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The files arrived—hundreds of pages of medical data, a smattering of clues.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The exhibit streamed live on Twitch; inside the gallery, fellow streamers and a smattering of real fans with signs and bouquets watched, too.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 23 Jan. 2026
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Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2026
There was a smattering of boos at full time.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The files arrived—hundreds of pages of medical data, a smattering of clues.
—Ben Taub, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The exhibit streamed live on Twitch; inside the gallery, fellow streamers and a smattering of real fans with signs and bouquets watched, too.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smattering
Cite this Entry
“Smattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smattering. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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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