scatter
Americanverb (used with object)
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scatters,
present (3rd person singular)
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scattered,
past participle, past
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scattering
present participle
-
to throw loosely about; distribute at irregular intervals.
to scatter seeds.
- Synonyms:
- broadcast
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to separate and drive off in various directions; disperse.
to scatter a crowd.
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Physics.
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to refract or diffract (light or otherelectromagnetic radiation ) irregularly so as to diffuse in many directions.
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(of a medium) to diffuse or deflect (light or other wave phenomena) by collisions between the wave and particles of the medium.
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verb (used without object)
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scatters,
present (3rd person singular)
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scattered,
past participle, past
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scattering
present participle
noun
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scatters
plural
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the act of scattering.
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something that is scattered.
verb
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(tr) to throw about in various directions; strew
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to separate and move or cause to separate and move in various directions; disperse
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to deviate or cause to deviate in many directions, as in the diffuse reflection or refraction of light
noun
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the act of scattering
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a substance or a number of objects scattered about
Synonym Usage
See sprinkle. Scatter, dispel, disperse, dissipate imply separating and driving something away so that its original form disappears. To scatter is to separate something tangible into parts at random, and drive these in different directions: The wind scattered leaves all over the lawn. To dispel is to drive away or scatter usually intangible things so that they vanish or cease to exist: Photographs of the race dispelled all doubts as to which horse won. To disperse is usually to cause a compact or organized tangible body to separate or scatter in different directions, to be reassembled if desired: Tear gas dispersed the mob. To dissipate is usually to scatter by dissolving or reducing to small atoms or parts that cannot be brought together again: He dissipated his money and his energy in useless activities.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scattersimple
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scatterssimple
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have scatteredperfect
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has scatteredperfect
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am scatteringprogressive
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are scatteringprogressive
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is scatteringprogressive
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have been scatteringperfect progressive
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has been scatteringperfect progressive
Past
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scatteredsimple
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had scatteredperfect
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was scatteringprogressive
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were scatteringprogressive
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had been scatteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scatter
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English scatere; compare Dutch schateren “to burst out laughing”
Explanation
If you hear someone shout "Everybody scatter!” that person wants everyone to spread out and leave the area. Scatter is a verb that means "to separate suddenly and spread out in different directions." Scatter is sometimes used as a noun to refer to something that has been scattered. If you have clothes strewn all over your room, you might say there is a scatter of clothes on the floor. More commonly, though, scatter is used as a verb meaning “to spread about.” You might scatter grass seed on your front lawn in the spring. Scatter can also mean “break up or disperse.” The police, for instance, might scatter an unruly mob or gathering.
Vocabulary lists containing scatter
Beowulf vocabulary
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Bronx Masquerade
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"The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One of the displaced, Abdulali al-Rajihi, said the Houthis "told us: 'Leave, scatter, you have half an hour'".
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Finish: Rest at least 15 minutes, then scatter with scallions or chives.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
That disruption can scatter electrons and erase some of the performance gains engineers are trying to achieve.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Relatives of the victims scatter flower petals from a damaged building as the procession passes below.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“We’d share it, and scatter it together,” he said.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
Another, in a blue tunic that echoes the sky, scatters wheat seeds in the new furrows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Gas between stars scatters the signals, spreading them out and causing slight delays before they reach Earth.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 6, 2026
By comparing the patterns in forward- and back-scattered light, they could estimate each particle's size and its refractive index, which describes how strongly light bends or scatters when it passes through a material.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 17, 2025
“Sometimes the robot’s arms throw the clothes and won’t fold properly. Sometimes it scatters the stack,” but the robots are learning quickly said Kavin, 27, an Objectways employee who goes by one name.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2025
Dona Mercedes scatters the last of the corn kernels and then studies my face.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
We all live scattered about the country so we try to go somewhere none of us have been each year.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Those predictions include tiny temperature variations scattered across the CMB.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
Behind the rain it is back to sunny spells and scattered showers, and still windy in the west on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Painted characters and toyboxes made of wood are installed in scenes that replicate toy stores and home interiors, where figurines scattered on the floor suggest that we’ve just interrupted a child’s playtime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Knowing how smart that hundred dollar monkey was, I took the shovel and scattered the fresh dirt that had come from the hole.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
"By accounting for the scattering and absorption by the cloud particles and atmosphere, the model allows us to estimate how strongly the liquid of cloud droplets itself must absorb light."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
The agency said federal regulations allow sunroofs to be made with tempered glass, which must break into gravel-like pieces, or laminated glass, where pieces stay stuck to a plastic interlayer instead of scattering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere is scattered, with shorter blue wavelengths scattering more easily, while more of the longer wavelength red light reach the Moon.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
A police pursuit early Wednesday through Los Angeles ended in dramatic fashion when the fleeing vehicle smashed into a row of parked cars, injuring the driver and scattering glass and debris across the road.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
He stood at the counter and shoved the food into his mouth like a starved animal, scattering crumbs over himself and the floor.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
