strew

verb \ ˈstrü \

Definition of strew

strewed; strewed or strewn play \ˈstrün\; strewing

transitive verb

1 : to spread by scattering

2 : to cover by or as if by scattering something

strewing the highways with litter

3 : to become dispersed over as if scattered

4 : to spread abroad : disseminate

See strew defined for English-language learners

See strew defined for kids

Examples of strew in a Sentence

She strewed the birdseed on the ground.
sidewalks strewed with trash left by the parade watchers

Recent Examples of strew from the Web

Even the island's medical facilities have been left in precarious shape, with many hospitals flooded, strewn with rubble and running critically low on diesel fuel needed to keep generators operating.

— author: dave graham, robin respaut, Alaska Dispatch News, "Travelers swamp Puerto Rico’s main airport; dam remains on verge of collapse," 25 Sep. 2017
The largest one holds the chirashi, a carpet of seasoned rice strewn with raw fish that on my visit featured lean bluefin (akama), toro, king salmon, amberjack (kanpachi), uni and ikura.

— providence cicero, The Seattle Times, "Sushi happiness at any price: Spend a lot — or a little — at Bellevue’s Minamoto," 7 Sep. 2017
Video of the aftermath recorded by a resident showed smoke or steam rising from a hole in the ground with chunks of concrete and asphalt strewn over the street.

— joseph serna, latimes.com, "Underground explosion that left Hyde Park street in pieces 'felt like mini-earthquake'," 7 Sep. 2017
The mayhem and the burst of police gunfire set off panic in the neighborhood and left the pavement strewn with mangled bicycles and bodies that were soon covered with sheets.

— Bloomberg.com, "Eight Dead After Motorist Plows Into Manhattan Bike Lane," 1 Nov. 2017
Chemical engineers approach benzene as a building block from which to make thousands of useful products, including aspirin, the plastic lid to your takeaway coffee, and the Legos children leave strewn across floors the world over.

— rebecca altman, The Atlantic, "How the Benzene Tree Polluted the World," 4 Oct. 2017
With a stunning wash of silver strewn over her lids, Knowles looks utterly angelic in her first short-haired snap.

— kaleigh fasanella, Allure, "Solange Debuts Blonde Hair Makeover and It's Everything," 13 Sep. 2017
Arvell Shaw and Barrett Deems laid down a springy, pulsing two-beat accompaniment on bass and drums over which Billy Kyle, the All Stars’ pianist, strewed Basie-like twinkles.

— terry teachout, WSJ, "The Shark’s Pretty Teeth," 28 July 2017
The swamp may or may not be drained, but the White House is now strewn with spiders, bats and cobwebs.

— yelena dzhanova, NBC News, "White House Gets Creepy for Halloween," 29 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'strew.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of strew

Middle English strewen, strowen, from Old English strewian, strēowian; akin to Old High German strewen to strew, Latin struere to heap up, sternere to spread out, Greek stornynai

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year