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

• 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

Its fronds are strewn across churchyards worldwide during Palm Sunday processions to symbolize Christ’s last entry into Jerusalem, and palm leaves cover the Sukkot booths during the annual Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles as called for in Leviticus. —Jacob Jones, JSTOR Daily, 13 Aug. 2025

Shaken by the disappearance of his grown daughter, a sports photographer goes looking for her through a Georgian landscape strewn with football fields. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025

Peacock feathers are strewn about its Great Gatsby-era dining room. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2025

Death to Order reads like an anti-thriller—this despite its international ambit and the corpses of prominent statesmen strewn higgledy-piggledy across its pages. —Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 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