as in handfuls
a small number
played before only a scatter of spectators in that huge stadium
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in disperses
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart
the noise of the backfiring car scattered the pigeons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sprays
to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on
the hillside was scattered with boulders deposited by the last ice age
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in dissipates
to go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole
these drunken revelers will quickly scatter when the police arrive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scatters
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
The Problem of Bureaucracy in Scaling Enterprises Business expansion scatters work across codebases, project management tools, chat platforms, and docs.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Their innovation, called retina E-paper, uses nanoparticles to control how light scatters, achieving lifelike color reproduction that can be tuned electrically.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Weed scatters and falls between the wood slats.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026
The only light that can reach it is filtered through Earth's atmosphere, which scatters short wavelengths of light and bends longer red wavelengths inward.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
This reddish color, often referred to as a blood moon, happens because Earth's atmosphere scatters sunlight, allowing the longer-wavelength red light to reach the moon.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Humans also see such a bright blue because the clear water absorbs red wavelengths and scatters blue light back to our eyes.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 25 Feb. 2026
The remaining light that does reach the Moon is filtered through Earth's atmosphere, which scatters shorter wavelengths and allows red and orange tones to pass through.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
This coloring occurs because deep, compact ice absorbs light’s longer wavelengths—like reds and yellows—and scatters shorter blue wavelengths back toward our eyes.
—Laura Kiniry, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
This process — called Rayleigh scattering — scatters shorter-wavelength blue light and bends longer-wavelength red light toward the moon.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Everyone scatters — Zoë, Dinah, and Sarah are okay, while Malik is more compromised.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Noun
Even a hit isn’t clean—some materials are highly reflective, meaning laser energy bounces off the drone and scatters, potentially causing blinding.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
The Problem of Bureaucracy in Scaling Enterprises Business expansion scatters work across codebases, project management tools, chat platforms, and docs.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Their innovation, called retina E-paper, uses nanoparticles to control how light scatters, achieving lifelike color reproduction that can be tuned electrically.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Weed scatters and falls between the wood slats.
—Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
Most of the data simply scatters into the void.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026
The only light that can reach it is filtered through Earth's atmosphere, which scatters short wavelengths of light and bends longer red wavelengths inward.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026
This reddish color, often referred to as a blood moon, happens because Earth's atmosphere scatters sunlight, allowing the longer-wavelength red light to reach the moon.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Humans also see such a bright blue because the clear water absorbs red wavelengths and scatters blue light back to our eyes.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 25 Feb. 2026
The remaining light that does reach the Moon is filtered through Earth's atmosphere, which scatters shorter wavelengths and allows red and orange tones to pass through.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
This coloring occurs because deep, compact ice absorbs light’s longer wavelengths—like reds and yellows—and scatters shorter blue wavelengths back toward our eyes.
—Laura Kiniry, Popular Science, 22 Jan. 2026
This process — called Rayleigh scattering — scatters shorter-wavelength blue light and bends longer-wavelength red light toward the moon.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Everyone scatters — Zoë, Dinah, and Sarah are okay, while Malik is more compromised.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scatters
Noun
-
Sprinkle a few handfuls of wood ashes around your hydrangea in early spring and water it in.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Drop handfuls evenly over the top of the compost pile, moisten with water, and mix it in with a rake or shovel.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There are two types of shockwave therapy, including radial shockwave therapy which disperses the pressure waves over a wider, shallower area, and focused shockwave therapy that targets the pressure at a precise point.—
Allison Aubrey,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The helpline disperses the weight of neighborhood needs using real-time contact data to assess requests and organizational response capacity.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Orange County sprays herbicides to eradicate vegetation in flood control channels.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The man asks for his Shalimar perfume, sprays himself and lies down on the floor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The negativity dissipates as a young man walks into the clubhouse, baseball cap on backward for the moment, energetic and respectful and joyful and supremely confident.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
-
After the fog dissipates, temperatures will be in the 80s across the greater Orlando metro and surrounding areas.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those checking in seemed to be young couples, families visiting New York University, and a few coworkers on business trips.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
-
For example, individual filers can receive up to $994, couples filing jointly can receive $1,491, and those providing essential care to SSI recipients can receive up to $498.—
Asher Notheis,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Groff sprinkles this punchy, athletic syntax over a slew of intricate settings.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Much like Knives Out, the movie takes a much more lighthearted approach and sprinkles humor throughout.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Remove those two names, and the record disappears.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Treat the rate as the policy, and the levy disappears from view.—
Martha E. Stark,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Barnett dots up Knight for a 57-yard catch-and-run.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Rather than the stiff alien chitchat that dots his own screenplays, the characters in The Favourite trade the witty, venomous bon mots of The Great creator Tony McNamara.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scatters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scatters. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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