Skip to main content
to scatter

to scatter

187 2.8
To spread small things like leaves or seeds over an area without order
  • verb
  • /ˈskætər/
translation icon : esparcir
  • War and human rights violations are already scattering millions across the world in search of safety.
  • scatter light
  • scatter widely
  • scatter randomly

Humankind has has scattered itself among the stars.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The children scattered their toys all over the living room, making it difficult to walk through.

  • Skulls, each holding a candle, are scattered about on the stairs and the furniture.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Must be a hundred of them scattered across the state just like this.

  • Their hate literature was scattered everywhere.

  • The lines of the poem are scattered on the page in what seems a random manner.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Nobody was sitting on the bench, but there was popcorn scattered around it and pigeons eating.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We know the gold, the jewels, that's all been scattered at this point.

  • Now, intel estimates 5000 Yakubu troops... ...scattered throughout this sector.

  • The organization's membership embraces more than 100 widely scattered communities located in half a dozen major watersheds.

    Academic text (1999)
  • They burned his body on a giant pyre and then scattered his ashes over Cabrini-Green.

Synonyms

to spread
vsto scatter
664 1.6

To put a thin layer over a surface

implies more irregular, random distribution rather than even coverage
to disperse
vsto scatter
104 4.4

To cause people and things, like a crowd or fog, to spread over a wide area

throws or spreads things randomly rather than causing movement apart
to sprinkle
vsto scatter
100 1.1

To put small drops of liquid or tiny pieces on something

can mean larger or irregular throwing rather than light dropping
to distribute
vsto scatter
87 2.0

Give things to several people or places

emphasizes physical throwing or irregular placement rather than sharing
to dust
vsto scatter
54 2.5

To cover something with a light layer of fine powder

can be coarser and more irregular, not only fine powder covering
to splatter
vsto scatter
51 4.1

To make liquid fall in small messy drops on a surface

is about throwing or spreading items across an area, not only liquid
to diffuse
vsto scatter
40 5.5

To spread out and reach many people or places

focuses on random local throwing rather than wide gradual spreading
to dot
vsto scatter
39 3.0

To appear as small marks across an area, like stars in the sky

is more about broad random distribution, not only spot-like marks
to spread out
vsto scatter
24 3.1

To arrange or unfold things so they cover a larger area

means throwing or distributing in a random, irregular way
to spatter
vsto scatter
14 5.0

To splash small drops onto a surface and make spots

may be neater or dryer, focusing on random spread rather than mess
to intersperse
vsto scatter
12 7.2

To put things in different places among other things

involves random, irregular distribution instead of regular intervals
to strew
vsto scatter
4 6.3

To spread things loosely and messily across an area

is about active throwing or spreading rather than untidy placement
to broadcast
vsto scatter
  • Specialized
3 4.5

To scatter seeds widely over the ground

is general throwing or distributing, not specific to planting seeds
to spatter all over
vsto scatter
1 5.6

To make drops of liquid hit many places, like clothes or a table

is similar but can include dry materials and nonviolent spreading
to smatter
vsto scatter
  • Archaic
1 8.8

To cover with small drops or spots like mud and paint

implies wider, more irregular throwing rather than just small spots
to bespatter
vsto scatter
1 8.9

To splash mud or water onto something and make it dirty

is broader, meaning to throw or spread generally, not just soil
to bestrew
vsto scatter
  • Archaic
9.9

To cover a surface by scattering things like papers or flowers

stresses random throwing across an area rather than full coverage
to besprinkle
vsto scatter
  • Archaic
9.9

To scatter small drops or bits lightly over something

covers broader, more random spreading not limited to light drops
to pebble
vsto scatter
6.1

To cover a surface with small stones

is general random spreading, not restricted to stones or pebbles

Antonyms

1.0

Bring people, things, or information together in one place

130 3.6

To bring people or things together in one place

Compounds

A small decorative pin worn on clothes, often in groups

A small mat you can move that covers part of a floor

How Wide

to disperse
104 4.4
to scatter
187 2.8
to spread
664 1.6
to distribute
87 2.0
to strew
4 6.3
to sprinkle
100 1.1

Surface Forms

scatter infinitive
scattered past
scattered past participle
scattering present participle
scatters third person singular

Etymology

Scatter comes from an old word that meant 'to throw or spread about'. Think of tossing seeds with your hand so they fly in all directions; that image explains why scatter means to spread things over a wide area in a random way.