scatters 1 of 2

plural of scatter

scatters

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of scatter
1
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scatters
Noun
If Cruz’s support scatters across two films, neither performance may crack the top five and if concentrated on one, she could be deemed far safer. Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 Pea gravel shifts and scatters. Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 30 Apr. 2026 In a cluttered room, that beam scatters in every direction. Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026 As internal pressure builds, the casing ruptures and scatters fragments outward at high speed, causing widespread injury to those nearby. Divya Dubey, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026 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
The most powerful visual effect is the ashy remains of the playground victims, still intact—until a shock wave scatters the ashes to the wind. ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 During the eclipse, Earth’s shadow will appear reddish orange on the lunar surface because of the way Earth’s atmosphere scatters light from the sun. Denise Chow, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026 Earth’s atmosphere scatters away much of the blue light while bending red and orange wavelengths into the shadow. Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 When the sun hits Ferm Living’s perforated Dapple chairs at just the right angle, light supposedly scatters through the steel seat in an artistic way, letting a relaxed tranquility wash over your outdoor patio. Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 3 Aug. 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, 10 July 2026 The youth suddenly drops to the ground as the crowd scatters, the video shows. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026 This happens because its light passes through more of Earth's atmosphere, which scatters away the shorter blue wavelengths and lets the longer red tones pass through, an effect known as Rayleigh scattering. Anthony Wood, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2026 As the light journeys along the fiber, little by little, some scatters off the glass molecules themselves and is lost. John Ballato, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scatters
Noun
  • Her supporters flooded the comments section on handfuls of posts from TikTok to Instagram.
    Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Not only would the ’70s see a precipitous rise of in the number of Hollywood sequels, but any film that managed to cut through the zeitgeist gave birth to handfuls of quick, formulaic, often cheaply made, copycats.
    Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The transfer station disperses collected waste to Waste Management facilities.
    Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Used in the group’s previous drone research, this landing gear disperses energy to reduce impact and overcomes multiple engineering challenges.
    Tim Hornyak, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • There’s Tanner, the middle of three boys who lives in his hometown and pilots a plane for the family business that sprays pesticides on crops.
    Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • See & Spray uses computer vision to distinguish weeds from crops and only sprays the weeds, cutting herbicide costs in half.
    Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Then life returns to normal, the energy dissipates, and those hours in shul leave little mark on the year itself.
    Risa Polansky Shiman, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The outside consultants explained that the most common reason for white, cloudy water is dissolved air, which is harmless and can be tested by filling a glass and waiting a couple of minutes to see if the cloudiness dissipates.
    Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Married couples, meanwhile, fell to 47% of households from 66% 50 years earlier.
    Peter McGraw, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
  • In summer, guests appeared to be genteel, sophisticated middle-aged couples in Patagonia vests who had come for a long weekend of hiking, fishing, and horseback riding—or young families on a short vacation.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Kemery sprinkles the tiny seeds either in late fall or very early spring, when there’s still a chance of frost, since cold spells offer the best germination.
    SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 11 July 2026
  • Thomson sprinkles critique throughout his book like seasoning unevenly applied to a gamey piece of meat.
    Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • When a patient of Julia’s daughter is murdered and her medical file disappears, the family becomes prime suspects.
    Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Firms cannot solve every gap by bringing in outside talent and hoping the problem disappears.
    Deepa Tailor, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Prepare to be dazzled from Warsaw’s highest viewing terrace atop Varso Tower, which proudly dots the skyline, before eating your way through the innovative food halls that define the coolest neighborhoods.
    Kasia Dietz, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2026
  • Japanese linens top the bed, and designer furniture dots the living space.
    Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Scatters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scatters. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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