scat·ter·ing
ˈska-tə-riŋ 
2
: something scattered: such as
a
: a small number or quantity interspersed here and there
a scattering of visitors
b
: the random change in direction of the particles constituting a beam or wave front due to collision with particles of the medium traversed
1
: going in various directions
2
: found or placed far apart and in no order
3
: divided among many or several
scattering votes
Examples of scattering in a Sentence
Noun
the scattering of the protesters suddenly turned violent and chaotic
a scattering of people in the mostly empty theater
Recent Examples on the Web
Jamie Carter, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
To manage through an era of... Post Sinking consumer sentiment, wobbly financial markets, and a scattering of disappointing macroeconomic data are stoking fears of a U.S. recession.
—Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Harvard Business Review, 14 Mar. 2025
That scattering process polarizes the light, and the degree of polarization tells us where the object was in three dimensions.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 5 Feb. 2025
To make sure that scattering happens over the empty Pacific and not, say, New York City, NASA has to push it there.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scattering
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Noun
Blue Ghost’s Lunar Sunrise This Raleigh scattering sees blue and violet short-wavelength light strike atoms in Earth's atmosphere and scatter while long-wavelength red and orange light bends onto the lunar surface.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
To manage through an era of... Post Sinking consumer sentiment, wobbly financial markets, and a scattering of disappointing macroeconomic data are stoking fears of a U.S. recession.
—Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Harvard Business Review, 14 Mar. 2025
That scattering process polarizes the light, and the degree of polarization tells us where the object was in three dimensions.
—Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 5 Feb. 2025
To make sure that scattering happens over the empty Pacific and not, say, New York City, NASA has to push it there.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scattering
Cite this Entry
“Scattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scattering. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scattering
1 of 2 noun
scat·ter·ing
ˈskat-ə-riŋ
1
: an act or process in which something scatters or is scattered
2
: something scattered
especially
: a small number or amount placed or found here and there
a scattering of visitors
scattering
2 of 2 adjective1
: going in various directions
2
: found or placed far apart and in no pattern
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