Meaning

(ergative) To (cause to) separate and go in different directions; to disperse..

Definitions by Sense

1. (ergative) To (cause to) separate and go in different directions; to disperse.
2. (transitive) To distribute loosely as by sprinkling.
3. (transitive, physics) To deflect (radiation or particles).
4. (intransitive) To occur or fall at widely spaced intervals.
5. (transitive) To frustrate, disappoint, and overthrow.
6. (transitive) To be dispersed upon.
7. (transitive, baseball) Of a pitcher: to keep down the number of hits or walks.
8. (slang, US) To leave.

Example Sentences

The crowd scattered in terror.

Scatter and disperse the giddy Goths.

Her ashes were scattered at the top of a waterfall.

Why should my muse enlarge on Libyan swains, / Their scattered cottages, and ample plains?

Chasca's ring is unique. It appears to be, for lack of a better term, a massive piece of alien "installation art." The rings are made of small pieces of synthetic material, and are almost invisible from space. From the ground, they catch and scatter the light of Matano in picturesque ways. It is not known who created the ring or when.

to scatter hopes or plans

Desiccated stalks scattered the fields.

[…] its beauty is obscured by the environmental waste and loose trash that scatter the countryside.

Word Forms

• scatters
• scattering
• scattered

Synonyms for scatter

Related Words

When Should You Use Scatter?

Use scatter when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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