strew

verb

ˈstrü 

strewed; strewed or strewn 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

Synonyms of strew

• spray
• sprinkle
• dot
• pepper

Examples of strew in a Sentence

She strewed the birdseed on the ground.

sidewalks strewed with trash left by the parade watchers

Recent Examples on the Web

And there’s like 25,000 of them that are strewn around these dormant volcanoes. —AFAR Media, 11 May 2026

Video taken at the scene showed massive damage inside the store, clothing strewn on the sidewalk -- and shattered glass everywhere. —Julie Sharp, CBS News, 8 May 2026

Video from the scene showed shirts, pants and shoes strewn across the sidewalk in front of the store. —Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026

Additional photos showed the passenger's belongings scattered outside the bus and strewn over the windows. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for strew

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

strew

verb

ˈstrü 

strewed; strewed or strewn ˈstrün  ; strewing

1

: to spread (as seeds) by scattering

2

: to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on

strewing the highways with litter

3

: to spread around as if sowing seeds : disseminate