Showing results for "scattering"

• present participle of scatter.

scattering

American  

[skat-er-ing] / ˈskæt ər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. distributed or occurring here and there at irregular intervals; scattered.

2. straggling, as an assemblage of parts.

3. (of votes) cast in small numbers for various candidates.

4. distributing, dispersing, or separating.

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noun

• scatterings
  plural

1. a small, scattered number or quantity.

2. Physics. the process in which a wave or beam of particles is diffused or deflected by collisions with particles of the medium that it traverses.

scattering British  

/ ˈskætərɪŋ /

noun

1. a small amount

2. physics the process in which particles, atoms, etc, are deflected as a result of collision

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scattering Scientific  

/ skăt′ər-ĭng /

1. The spreading of a stream of particles or a beam of rays, as of light, over a range of directions as a result of collisions with other particles. The sky appears blue due to the tendency of air molecules to scatter blue and violet light more than light of other frequencies. The scattering probabilities and patterns of subatomic particles, accelerated by particle accelerators and aimed at a target, is a major component of experimental particle physics.

2. See also diffusion cross section

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• scatterings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of scattering

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at scatter, -ing ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scattering scatterings

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

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

Already the sudden storm is passing, and its fierceness is abating; crowds are scattering homeward, and the sky is beginning to redden over the Yorkshire wolds.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Image: DroneSeed Trees can normally regenerate due to the scatterings of pine cones by the wind or with the help of animals.

From The Verge ● Apr. 18, 2022

The mauled scatterings of boxes and packages along the train tracks look like the crime scene from a Christmas Eve Santa sleigh-jacking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2022

Cavernous home arenas, with scatterings of spectators at most, emphasize the emptiness.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 16, 2021

On one level, Arisen My Senses sounds like chaos: crashing rhythms and overlapping voices that render the lyrics largely incomprehensible, alongside unpredictable scatterings of harp and explosions of electronics.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 24, 2019

The garden sprinklers whirled up in golden founts, filling the soft morning air with scatterings of brightness.

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury