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

An additional 684 people have been found dead in the rubble strewn across Gaza during the same period. —Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2026

Piles of unopened mail, receipts, and miscellaneous—yet important—items like your house or car keys should not be left strewn across countertops, especially haphazardly. —Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026

Instead, the grand entrance was strewn with Fox News personalities, members of his administration and others who should have had name tags to be recognized. —Christine Ledbetter, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026

People in the video can be seen running along the shoulder of a road toward first responders while debris is strewn about. —Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025

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