strew

American  

[stroo] / stru /

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.

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strew British  

/ struː /

verb

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

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Related Words

See sprinkle.

Other Word Forms

• strewer noun
• understrew verb (used with object)

Etymology

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” ( stratum )

Example Sentences

Firefighters used an excavator to remove broken glass and gnarled metal strewn across the site as policemen with pump-action rifles patrolled on motorbike to prevent looting.

From Barron's

A photograph shared with the BBC by a train driver for Eurostar appeared to show overhead electrical cables strewn across the tracks.

From BBC

The localisers damaged in the crash still stand at the end of the runway, and what appear to be fragments of concrete slabs and pillars are strewn across a field not far away.

From Barron's

Boulders are strewn about the landscape like “rugged dice thrown and left by wagering giants.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Photos believed to be from the scene have been circulating on social media showing missing roofs across parts of the building complex, broken hospital beds and debris strewn across the ground.

From BBC

Related Words

• scatter
• sprinkle