as in handful
a small number
a smattering of guests at the art exhibit
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smattering
Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
When your winter is essentially one never-ending polar vortex, your house is likely a smattering of salty puddles and footprints.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
The box contained a smattering of items, including ammunition, building materials, four cell phones and handwritten letters.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock was interviewed by a smattering of reporters Monday night ahead of Super Bowl LX, and fortunately the queries were mostly tame.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smattering
Noun
Later, a smattering of boos met Israel’s four representatives at the Milan ceremony.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
When your winter is essentially one never-ending polar vortex, your house is likely a smattering of salty puddles and footprints.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
The box contained a smattering of items, including ammunition, building materials, four cell phones and handwritten letters.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock was interviewed by a smattering of reporters Monday night ahead of Super Bowl LX, and fortunately the queries were mostly tame.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smattering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smattering
Noun
-
Even a handful of unscheduled TSA absences could quickly lead to longer wait times at smaller airports, for example, if there's just a single security checkpoint.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
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Even a handful of unscheduled TSA absences could quickly lead to longer wait times at smaller airports, for example, if there’s just a single security checkpoint.—
Rio Yamat,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The property has changed hands multiple times over the last couple of decades.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Spohr died after being shot once in the head during the burglary at the couple’s Homewood residence on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, the victims’ family has said.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Benito finds community with the like-minded Pleneros de la Cresta, who have been playing the island’s pattering folk music for over a decade.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Long trolling Trump in what many view as the lead-up to a 2028 White House bid by the two-term Democrat, Newsom’s missive comes in all caps and with the over-the-top self-aggrandizement that is common to POTUS himself — which is often the point.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
7 Feb. 2026
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Tony Romo got a little prophetic while trolling Swifties in 2023.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Despite the teeth-chattering weather, a crush formed outside (SUB)MERCER, a discreet club tucked beneath The Mercer Hotel in SoHo, with everyone vying for a nod from the bouncer or publicist Sasha Sheehan.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
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Her sisters sat chattering about the heat, the traffic, and the rain.—
Allegra Goodman,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The man sitting in front of me—rugged, with a fine Rockwell Kent profile—tips forward and begins to emit gentle, bleating snores.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
-
And when her furry black-and-white friend follows her — bleating at her heels, eager for more affection — Kusimayu keeps walking.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Dec. 2025
Verb
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When the time came for Alan Cumming to cease deliberations, Michael was reduced to sputtering epithets in random sequences.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2026
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The only constant is Mount Etna, looming off to one side, at times sputtering out smoke, ash, and short bursts of lava.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In an eventual 57-point Hurricanes victory, Stevenson was balling and jabbering about it, too, to every Wildcats pass catcher within earshot.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smattering. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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