strew

[ stroo ]

See synonyms for: strew strewed strewn on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),strewed, strewn

[stroon] /strun/ or strewed, strew·ing.

to let fall in separate pieces or particles over a surface; scatter or sprinkle: to strew seed in a garden bed.
to cover or overspread (a surface, place, etc.) with something scattered or sprinkled: to strew a floor with sawdust.

to be scattered or sprinkled over (a surface): Sawdust strewed the floor.
to spread widely; disseminate: to strew rumors among the troops.

Origin of strew

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” (see stratum)

synonym study For strew

1. See sprinkle.

Other words for strew

broadcast

See synonyms for strew on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for strew

1	gather, reap

See antonyms for strew on Thesaurus.com

Other words from strew

strew·er, noun
un·der·strew, verb (used with object), un·der·strewed, un·der·strewn or un·der·strewed, un·der·strew·ing.

Words Nearby strew

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use strew in a sentence

The developers said hidden Easter eggs and references will be strewn about, but were adamant that this is a new story focusing on new relationships and characters.
Saints Row, the funhouse mirror version of Grand Theft Auto, will reboot in 2022 | Gene Park | August 25, 2021 | Washington Post
Bloodstained backpacks and charred notebooks lay strewn among their dead bodies.
The U.S. Is Leaving Afghanistan, the Taliban Is Growing in Power, and Education for Girls and Women Is Already at Risk | Amie Ferris-Rotman | July 7, 2021 | Time
In Speed Golf and Battle Golf you fill up the energy meter by picking up coins strewn across the course.
‘Mario Golf: Super Rush’: Maybe a little bit too chill | Christopher Byrd | July 2, 2021 | Washington Post
In one building, parts of the ceiling were strewn across the floor.
Held Back: Inside a Lost School Year | by Annie Waldman, ProPublica, photography by Cydni Elledge | June 28, 2021 | ProPublica
Selecting the Olympic gymnastics team is a bit like a Swarovski crystal-strewn game of “choose your own adventure.”
How To Build The Best Gymnastics Team Around Simone Biles | Dvora Meyers | June 23, 2021 | FiveThirtyEight

Pour on a wine-glassful of Sauterne or vin de Grave, and strew over it some Spanish pimento.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode | Harriet A. de Salis
Salt and pepper these highly, and strew over it finely chopped onion and parsley.
Dressed Game and Poultry la Mode | Harriet A. de Salis
It is her duty to open the eastern doors of the palace of the sun, and to strew the path of Apollo, the sun god, with roses.
'Round the Year in Myth and Song | Florence Holbrook
And she went to strew the flowers still left over Catherine's grave.
Night and Morning, Complete | Edward Bulwer-Lytton
These she was to strew in front of the lodge, leaving only a small path uncovered by them.
The Myths of the North American Indians | Lewis Spence

British Dictionary definitions for strew

strew

/ (struː) /

verbstrews, strewing, strewed, strewn or strewed

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

Origin of strew

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

Derived forms of strew

strewer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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