smatter
Americanverb (used with object)
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to speak (a language, words, etc.) with superficial knowledge or understanding.
-
to dabble in.
noun
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a slight or superficial knowledge; smattering.
She gets by with only a smatter of musical knowledge.
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a small amount or number; smattering.
a smatter of applause; smatters of nervous laughter.
noun
verb
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rare (intr) to prattle
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archaic (tr) to dabble in
Other Word Forms
- smatterer noun
Etymology
Origin of smatter
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Scandinavian; Danish, Norwegian smadre “to splash, smash (to pieces),” Swedish smattra “to clatter, rattle” ( Middle Low German smetern “to chatter”), but the semantic development is unclear
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.
The run-up has seen none of the feverish public rallies that Suu Kyi could command, with just a smattering of low-key events.
From Barron's
The smattering of small earthquakes in Southern California generated significant, not altogether unwarranted, attention last year.
From Los Angeles Times
Focus will center on a smattering of U.S. data releases, particularly GDP, as investors gauge the performance of the U.S. economy.
An AFP team in Longnan saw rows of large rare earths processing plants in an industrial district adjacent to that dense smattering of extraction sites.
From Barron's
As of early December, his holdings included a smattering of popular Big Tech names — Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
From MarketWatch
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.
