strewn
Americanadjective
-
covered or overspread with something scattered or sprinkled (used in combination).
We saw men, women, and children scavenging for recyclables, both in the actual dump site and along the garbage-strewn streets of the city.
-
dropped in separate pieces or particles over a surface; scattered.
The dancers led a candlelight procession through the district, following a path of strewn marigold petals.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of strewn
First recorded in 1610–20 as a verb, and in 1725–35 as an adjective
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.
Damaged buildings and cars could be seen, and debris was strewn on the roads.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Federal Court judge Stephen Burley described how four large open-pit mines, a railway, tailings dam, waste dumps and a stockpile were strewn across the lands of the Yindjibarndi people in Western Australia's Pilbara region.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
BIRMINGHAM, England—The neighborhood around Harris Hussein’s barbershop in this once thriving industrial city is marked by potholes and strewn with piles of uncollected trash.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Several items appeared to be strewn about on the car’s hood and the sidewalk.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
There was nothing in that direction but broken pavement, strewn with weeds and trash the Bear Clan Patrol didn’t let the youths clean up.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
