1
as in dispersion
an act or process in which something scatters or is scattered
the scattering of the protesters suddenly turned violent and chaotic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in handful
a small number
a scattering of people in the mostly empty theater
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in dispersing
to cause (members of a group) to move widely apart
the noise of the backfiring car scattered the pigeons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spraying
to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on
the hillside was scattered with boulders deposited by the last ice age
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in dissipating
to go off in different directions and cease to exist as a body or unified whole
these drunken revelers will quickly scatter when the police arrive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scattering
Tori Crowther, Allure, 11 Apr. 2025
Will Poulter in Warfare Courtesy of A24 But if a movie can be elegant and brutal at once, this one is: the dissipating smoke from the grenade hangs in the air, a pinkish-gold mist; polka dots of sunlight stream through a scattering of bullet holes in a door.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 Apr. 2025
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Dec. 2024
Cluster artillery popped open, scattering scores of lethal submunitions.
—David Axe, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scattering
Noun
The minimalist design features a baby pink base with a pastel yellow accent nail plus a scattering of multicolor sprinkles.
—Tori Crowther, Allure, 11 Apr. 2025
Will Poulter in Warfare Courtesy of A24 But if a movie can be elegant and brutal at once, this one is: the dissipating smoke from the grenade hangs in the air, a pinkish-gold mist; polka dots of sunlight stream through a scattering of bullet holes in a door.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
When preparing your impressive dessert spread this holiday season, consider scattering in a few of these limited-time cookies to add a touch of color to your platter.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Dec. 2024
Cluster artillery popped open, scattering scores of lethal submunitions.
—David Axe, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scattering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scattering
Noun
-
Refraction is the bending of light, while dispersion scatters it.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Discover Magazine,
28 May 2025
-
The velocity dispersion in Ophion, as measured by Gaia, is much larger than normal, at 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) per second.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The previous period, One Thing at a Time infiltrated the chart with 36 smashes, and only a handful of them fell away after a few days.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
But again, a handful of airports have earlier requirements.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
There are already laws in Florida governing weather modification, which can include cloud seeding—the enhancement of precipitation by dispersing substances into clouds that encourage the formation of rain or snow.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
-
These pollutants can come from a variety of sources, including vehicle emissions, industrial activity, wildfires, and weather patterns that prevent pollution from dispersing.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
That trip would be the longest transoceanic dispersal of any terrestrial vertebrate known to scientists.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Researchers in Australia are using Gaia to learn how mosquitoes colonized islands in the South Pacific, while teams in Michigan and Ohio are using it to understand the history and dispersal of the Massasauga rattlesnake.—
Stephanie Edwards,
Discover Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But at a baseline, the RTX 50-series is underwhelming, and the RX 90-series is more attractive than AMD's last couple of GPU generations have been.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2025
-
Fans have watched as Mackenzie has navigated a complex pregnancy, from the couple's IVF journey to managing her health, including a recent preeclampsia diagnosis.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
Can’t Look Away, in part, focuses on the Social Media Victims Law Center and its lawsuit against Snapchat on behalf of families whose children met tragic ends after consuming counterfeit prescription drugs acquired through the disappearing messaging app run by parent Snap.—
Etan Vlessing,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 Mar. 2025
-
While remote work isn’t disappearing, the era of full-time remote freedom may be ending for many workers.—
Jason Wingard,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
As a strong scatter market nearly always presages a robust upfront bazaar, Paramount co-CEO Chris McCarthy noted during last week’s earnings Q&A.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
11 May 2025
-
Some $2 billion in advance bookings was left on the table that year, although a buoyant scatter market helped claw back a good deal of those dollars beginning with the fourth quarter of 2009.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The choir leaned over him offering words of motivation, and rain doused the flames as Kirk Franklin marched up to a stage beating back smoke with an orange glow, like sunlight dissolving cloud cover.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Even some downstate Republicans oppose the movement, arguing that dissolving townships will lead to tax hikes.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scattering. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share