strew

[stroo]

verb (used with object)

strewed, strewn, strewed, strewing. 

1. to let fall in separate pieces or particles over a surface; scatter or sprinkle.

   to strew seed in a garden bed.

   Synonyms: broadcast
   Antonyms: reap, gather

2. to cover or overspread (a surface, place, etc.) with something scattered or sprinkled.

   to strew a floor with sawdust.

3. to be scattered or sprinkled over (a surface).

   Sawdust strewed the floor.

4. to spread widely; disseminate.

   to strew rumors among the troops.

strew

/ struː /

verb

1. to spread or scatter or be spread or scattered, as over a surface or area

Other Word Forms

• strewer noun
• understrew verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of strew¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English strewen, Old English strewian; cognate with German streuen, Old Norse strā, Gothic straujan; akin to Latin sternere “to spread” ( stratum )

Word History and Origins

Origin of strew¹

Old English streowian; related to Old Norse strā, Old High German streuwen, Latin struere to spread

Synonym Study

See sprinkle.

Example Sentences

I watch it investigate the pizza scraps strewn across the ground.

Read more on Literature

It was a riot of floral patterns, soft carpets, and comfortable furniture strewn with pillows, nothing like the formal, antique-filled rooms upstairs.

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We spent the entire night sifting through our belongings, which the firemen had strewn around the bedroom or had gotten wet as they’d tried to fight the fire.

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It's not just rubbish from homes that ends up strewn across the streets, it's waste from local businesses too.

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Video filmed at the campsite shows fallen trees, debris strewn across the ground and vehicles with broken windows.

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Related Words

• scatter 
• sprinkle