scatter

[skat-er]

verb (used with object)

1. to throw loosely about; distribute at irregular intervals.

   to scatter seeds.

   Synonyms: broadcast

2. to separate and drive off in various directions; disperse.

   to scatter a crowd.

3. Physics.

   1. to refract or diffract (light or otherelectromagnetic radiation ) irregularly so as to diffuse in many directions.

   2. (of a medium) to diffuse or deflect (light or other wave phenomena) by collisions between the wave and particles of the medium.

verb (used without object)

1. to separate and disperse; go in different directions.

noun

1. the act of scattering.

2. something that is scattered.

scatter

/ ˈskætə /

verb

1. (tr) to throw about in various directions; strew

2. to separate and move or cause to separate and move in various directions; disperse

3. to deviate or cause to deviate in many directions, as in the diffuse reflection or refraction of light

noun

1. the act of scattering

2. a substance or a number of objects scattered about

Other Word Forms

• scatterable adjective
• scatterer noun
• scatteringly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of scatter¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English scatere; compare Dutch schateren “to burst out laughing”

Word History and Origins

Origin of scatter¹

C13: probably a variant of _shatter

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Still, he expects “two or three dozen scattered around the market that will truly transform how people move through and between cities.”

From Los Angeles Times

Other eyewitnesses said that chaos ensued, as people scattered in panic or tried to save the lives of people trapped beneath the rubble.

From BBC

She scattered the ashes she believed were her mother's alongside her father's in January 2024.

From BBC

Even a rough scatter of croutons can give that essential crunch against the softness below.

From Salon

And yet “Steve,” sincere in its hardcore concern, believably acted, is too scattered and schematically plotted to fully pull us into the emotional toll and scruffy joys of this work.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• discard 
• distribute 
• divide 
• fling 
• litter 
• pour 
• shatter 
• shower 
• spray 
• spread 
• sprinkle