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
Blue light can travel farther through water and scatters more strongly from tiny airborne particles. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scatters
Noun
  • It is balanced in a way that few other pastas could hope for, containing an abundance of greens to counter punchy sausage and handfuls of Parmesan.
    — Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026
  • One account describes pouring 40 handfuls of water, each accompanied by good wishes; another describes pouring water 40 times over the newborn’s head using an eggshell.
    — Shushan Karapetian, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Laser fusion follows another route, compressing and heating a tiny fuel pellet so reactions occur before the fuel disperses.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • A lot of the time, Deadline first exclusively breaks news that disperses to other outlets and, eventually, social media.
    — The Deadline Team, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • As the man with dogs and a second witness look on, an agent approaches them and sprays the man with the dogs.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The easy-to-use machine simply sprays the area with cleaning solution, scrubs the carpet fibers, and extracts the dirty water and grime.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • When it gets distracted by lesser narrative matters, the heat dissipates.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The effect dissipates somewhat whenever Cahyono resorts to less suggestive, more blatantly surreal imagery.
    — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The busy bar is surrounded by couples sipping cocktails and jazz music plays gently in the background.
    — Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Within the couples’ apartments, Heggessey suggested Channel 4 could install CCTV, use individual safe words and panic buttons, and provide lockable ensuite bathrooms.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Nov. 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
  • Midway through the conversation, Šeregi disappears, to pop up five minutes later, this time on a speedboat with the coastline receding behind him.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026
  • But the people who have spent three seasons assigning that responsibility to Clark should explain why their standard apparently disappears when applying it would require them to make demands of Reese.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 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 7 Nov. 2026.

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