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
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
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
Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 30 May 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
But Orlandoans who, in years to come, will see and admire the graceful little tree that scatters yellow blooms in the Leu gardens, will know of one that did.
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
Cosmos is a low-maintenance annual that grows quickly and scatters seed widely.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026
Most of the data simply scatters into the void.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 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
Noun
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
Earth’s atmosphere scatters shorter blue wavelengths more efficiently, allowing warmer red and orange tones to dominate — the same effect that produces vivid sunsets.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 30 May 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
But Orlandoans who, in years to come, will see and admire the graceful little tree that scatters yellow blooms in the Leu gardens, will know of one that did.
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
Cosmos is a low-maintenance annual that grows quickly and scatters seed widely.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026
Most of the data simply scatters into the void.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scatters
Noun
-
The video that went viral on Facebook shows a fast food employee stuffing two handfuls of French fries in her mouth and then putting them into a red McDonald's fry container that another employee is holding.—
Penny Kmitt,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
To begin, lab assistant Julia Butac empties a burlap bag of beans into a bin and starts to sift them a couple handfuls at a time, removing anything that isn't a full bean.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Rodighiero and her team already have their suspicions about how the red and blue monsters can coexist in the early universe—perhaps the blue galaxies are in fact born from the red ones as the dust disperses.—
Jenna Ahart,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Criminalization disperses suffering, while prevention reduces suffering.—
Ray Bramson,
Washington Post,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The dishwasher sprays smaller amounts of water over a longer period while relying on soaking and efficient circulation rather than intense heat and pressure.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
-
The violent collision sprays a jet of electrons, positrons, and other particles down into a cloud at a random angle.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
When it’s put in the oven, the fizz dissipates inside the batter and causes the center to cave in.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Once inside, any sense of peace dissipates in the vociferous shouts from the local crowd, who create a hostile environment for any foreign player.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
To be candid, our process was not terribly dramatic—there were no big fights, no couples counseling—other than the drama of racing to complete the project (or, at least, most of it) before the kids were born.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
Families will love the spacious suites, while couples can retreat to the more secluded upper-floor rooms with wraparound terraces.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
In honor of the Niners’ 80th season, the video takes us on a house tour through the decades that sprinkles their opponents’ objects in each room.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Pastry chef Sahar Shomali, Kouzeh’s owner, sprinkles her version with black and white sesame seeds, cumin and fresh dill.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
But institutional programming only runs as long as there’s a budget line for it, and when that line disappears so does the infrastructure that women were conditioned to rely on.—
Alli Kushner,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
In some images — such as those captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope — the iconic horsehead-shape disappears entirely, transforming the familiar nebula into something alien, and new.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
28 May 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
Cite this Entry
“Scatters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scatters. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
