scatter
Americanverb (used with object)
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scatters,
present (3rd person singular)
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scattered,
past participle, past
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scattering
present participle
-
to throw loosely about; distribute at irregular intervals.
to scatter seeds.
- Synonyms:
- broadcast
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to separate and drive off in various directions; disperse.
to scatter a crowd.
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Physics.
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to refract or diffract (light or otherelectromagnetic radiation ) irregularly so as to diffuse in many directions.
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(of a medium) to diffuse or deflect (light or other wave phenomena) by collisions between the wave and particles of the medium.
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verb (used without object)
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scatters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
scattered,
past participle, past
-
scattering
present participle
noun
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scatters
plural
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the act of scattering.
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something that is scattered.
verb
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(tr) to throw about in various directions; strew
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to separate and move or cause to separate and move in various directions; disperse
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to deviate or cause to deviate in many directions, as in the diffuse reflection or refraction of light
noun
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the act of scattering
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a substance or a number of objects scattered about
Synonym Usage
See sprinkle. Scatter, dispel, disperse, dissipate imply separating and driving something away so that its original form disappears. To scatter is to separate something tangible into parts at random, and drive these in different directions: The wind scattered leaves all over the lawn. To dispel is to drive away or scatter usually intangible things so that they vanish or cease to exist: Photographs of the race dispelled all doubts as to which horse won. To disperse is usually to cause a compact or organized tangible body to separate or scatter in different directions, to be reassembled if desired: Tear gas dispersed the mob. To dissipate is usually to scatter by dissolving or reducing to small atoms or parts that cannot be brought together again: He dissipated his money and his energy in useless activities.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scattersimple
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scatterssimple
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have scatteredperfect
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has scatteredperfect
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am scatteringprogressive
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are scatteringprogressive
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is scatteringprogressive
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have been scatteringperfect progressive
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has been scatteringperfect progressive
Past
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scatteredsimple
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had scatteredperfect
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was scatteringprogressive
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were scatteringprogressive
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had been scatteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scatter
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English scatere; compare Dutch schateren “to burst out laughing”
Explanation
If you hear someone shout "Everybody scatter!” that person wants everyone to spread out and leave the area. Scatter is a verb that means "to separate suddenly and spread out in different directions." Scatter is sometimes used as a noun to refer to something that has been scattered. If you have clothes strewn all over your room, you might say there is a scatter of clothes on the floor. More commonly, though, scatter is used as a verb meaning “to spread about.” You might scatter grass seed on your front lawn in the spring. Scatter can also mean “break up or disperse.” The police, for instance, might scatter an unruly mob or gathering.
Vocabulary lists containing scatter
Beowulf vocabulary
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Bronx Masquerade
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"The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet"
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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.
See Examples For:
One of the displaced, Abdulali al-Rajihi, said the Houthis "told us: 'Leave, scatter, you have half an hour'".
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Sea spray, clouds, and snow all look intensely white because their structures scatter visible light extremely efficiently.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Tommy’s presence helps push Valerie to acknowledge Mickey’s absence and moves her to gently face it, finally scatter his ashes and let him go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Finish: Rest at least 15 minutes, then scatter with scallions or chives.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
It was the desolation of having found the place that fits, the one true place, and experiencing the first heady sigh of rightness before being torn away and cast back into random, lonely scatter.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Dust in the disk scatters light from the central star, creating an effect similar to fog.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
She first scatters AA-size batteries, pens and scissors on the table, and walks back to the nearby control rig to make the robot arms place each one inside the tray of a desk organizer.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
This is because the sunlight it reflects reaches us through a more dense part of the Earth's atmosphere which scatters blue and violet light, and means only the redder hues reach us.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026
Aerogels also rely on air-filled pores, but those pores are typically arranged in a random pattern that scatters light.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 13, 2025
And Jordan’s face scatters into a sad soup.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
They brought together evidence that was already scattered throughout scientific research and combined it with their own consistent data set.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
AI touches national security, jobs, energy and consumer protection, leaving responsibility scattered across committees that rarely move together.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Large chunks of concrete could be seen scattered around and inside the collapsed area, while orange traffic cones cordoned off the site as workers surveyed the damage.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Though the park is mostly evergreens, you will see changing leaves on scattered maples, black oaks and Pacific dogwood, cottonwoods and cedars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The students scattered around the floor and began their stretches.
From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene
The agency said federal regulations allow sunroofs to be made with tempered glass, which must break into gravel-like pieces, or laminated glass, where pieces stay stuck to a plastic interlayer instead of scattering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere is scattered, with shorter blue wavelengths scattering more easily, while more of the longer wavelength red light reached the Moon.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
A police pursuit early Wednesday through Los Angeles ended in dramatic fashion when the fleeing vehicle smashed into a row of parked cars, injuring the driver and scattering glass and debris across the road.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
This agreement confirmed that phonons in the material can travel unusually long distances before scattering, which is a central reason the wave-based behavior can survive at room temperature.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
The glass jar shatters, a sea of black truffles scattering across the floor.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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.
