scattered; scattering; scatters
1
a
: to cause to separate widely
b
: to cause to vanish
2
archaic
: to fling away heedlessly : squander
3
: to distribute irregularly
4
: to sow by casting in all directions : strew
5
a
: to reflect irregularly and diffusely
b
: to cause (a beam of radiation) to diffuse or disperse
6
: to divide into ineffectual small portions
1
: to separate and go in various directions : disperse
2
: to occur or fall irregularly or at random
1
: the act of scattering
2
: a small quantity or number irregularly distributed or strewn about : scattering
3
: the state or extent of being scattered
especially
: dispersion
Synonyms
Examples of scatter in a Sentence
Verb
The wind scattered the pile of leaves.
The marbles scattered across the floor.
She scattered the books on the table.
He scatters his toys all around the house.
Noun
played before only a scatter of spectators in that huge stadium
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Soon, more people showed up from the bar and the four males scattered.
—Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2024
Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 29 Oct. 2024
Scattered light rays that enter the eye pass through multiple ocular components that reduce the scatter to focus the rays onto the retina, which converts the light into an electrical signal that is transferred through the optic nerve.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scatter 
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Verb
Up until now, the DC universe’s TV presence has been scattered all across the network and streaming landscape, from the Greg Berlanti–produced CW shows in the Arrowverse to Fox’s Gotham to Max’s animated Harley Quinn series — but almost entirely excluded from the TV-awards conversation.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Soon, more people showed up from the bar and the four males scattered.
—Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
When the moon moves into the inner part of Earth's shadow, or umbra, according to NASA, some of the sunlight entering Earth's skies scatters before reaching the moon's surface.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 29 Oct. 2024
Scattered light rays that enter the eye pass through multiple ocular components that reduce the scatter to focus the rays onto the retina, which converts the light into an electrical signal that is transferred through the optic nerve.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scatter
Dictionary Entries Near scatter
Cite this Entry
“Scatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scatter. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
scatter
1 of 2 transitive verb
scat·ter
ˈskat-ər 
: to cause (a beam of radiation) to diffuse or disperse
scatter
2 of 2 noun1
: the act of scattering
2
: the state or extent of being scattered
especially
: scattering
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