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:
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
Tommy’s presence helps push Valerie to acknowledge Mickey’s absence and moves her to gently face it, finally scatter his ashes and let him go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
They were travelling to the city to scatter the ashes of Rose's late husband, Pete.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
These features, known as corrugations, cause light from an input source to scatter upward and out of the photonic chip.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
As we entered the building, Raizel retrieved a hammer from the scatter of tools lying in the corner.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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
One of UV-C light's most valuable traits is how strongly it scatters in the atmosphere, which makes it especially useful for non-line-of-sight communication.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026
Gas between stars scatters the signals, spreading them out and causing slight delays before they reach Earth.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 6, 2026
Out the window, the wind scatters the leaves across the road.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere is scattered, with shorter blue wavelengths scattering more easily, while more of the longer wavelength red light reached the Moon.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
He scattered them, hid them, kept handwritten or typed versions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
They grow about a centimeter or two a year and by sampling cores at the millimeter scale, the team was able to develop windows of monthly temperature records scattered across the past millennium.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Curry’s performance is even more impressive given his limited screen time — his scattered appearances as Pennywise total less than 20 minutes over a three-hour running time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Then the robot came stomping up, and the cats hissed and scattered in every direction.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Shorter blue wavelengths scattering more easily, while more of the longer wavelength red light reaches the moon.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 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
Under those conditions, phonons can travel long distances without scattering very much.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 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 saw people scattering about in either direction.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
