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)
-
scattered,
past participle, past
-
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:
Two perform wheelies on electric scooters while another uses a long stick to scatter rubbish.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Clarke says the effect can be made even cosier by pairing lighting with soft furnishings, such as floor-to-ceiling curtains and scatter cushions in different colours and patterns.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Finish: Rest at least 15 minutes, then scatter with scallions or chives.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Relatives of the victims scatter flower petals from a damaged building as the procession passes below.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“What happens when they turn out my pockets? What happens when they rip my stockings? What happens when they scatter my salt in the dirt?”
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Instead of allowing NIR photons to pass straight through the thin silicon layer, the textured surface scatters the light repeatedly, increasing the likelihood that the silicon absorbs it.
From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026
This is because the sunlight it reflects reaches us through a more dense part of the Earth's atmosphere which scatters blue and violet light, and means only the redder hues reach us.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026
The movie — which he wrote, directed and stars in — follows a widower as he scatters his wife’s ashes in very specific locations and deals with the memories that arise at each of them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
Aerogels also rely on air-filled pores, but those pores are typically arranged in a random pattern that scatters light.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 13, 2025
It tore the logs of the raft apart as a great wind scatters a heap of dried chaff; it flung Odysseus into the wild waters.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
His music was scattered over many labels: Black Saint, Elektra Musician, Nonesuch, and his own imprint Mbari.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
But the company did not end up broadcasting Thursday’s event, leaving investors to glean information through scattered sources.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
From the viewpoint of a stationary observer on Earth, diffusely scattered light begins to be directed forward, toward the direction in which the sail is traveling.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
AFP footage showed the overturned bus and its wreckage scattered along the roadside.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
True, there were traces of red powder scattered on the otherwise clean-swept dirt, and the stink was more foul than fowl.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
By contrast, northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and north Wales will have a breezy day with sunny spells and a scattering of showers which could be heavy in the west.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 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
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
I’ve topped bowls with butter-soaked, cardamom-dusted sourdough croutons, a simple scattering of pistachios, granola and even dried coconut flakes, and each has worked beautifully.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
He searched the rest of the room, through the lab, scattering the neatly arranged equipment.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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.
