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

Footage from the city of Bnei Brak showed the women running through streets strewn with rubbish and overturned bins as police officers formed a protective barrier.

From BBC

Herbert Reul said it looked like "a rubbish dump", with more than 500,000 items strewn across the floor - the contents of the safe deposit boxes that the thieves had left behind.

From BBC

She tries to turn off the TV, but the batteries are strewn across the rug.

From Literature

The photograph was posted online to find the owners of items that had been left strewn on the road outside the units.

From BBC

Huge, fallen trunks were strewn across the campsite.

From Literature

Related Words

• scatter
• sprinkle