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

Footage from the Dnipro strike scene shows several bodies strewn across the platform. — Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026

Cranes shifted the carriages as police and soldiers picked through the wreckage strewn down the gravel slope where at least three train carriages were tossed by the impact. — Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Cranes helped shift the carriages as police and soldiers helped pick through the wreckage strewn down the gravel slope where at least three train carriages were tossed by the impact. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

Then one day, the boy’s clothes came no more, and instead his ashes were strewn into the river—ashes with none of the smells that the river remembered on the boy’s collars. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 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