scatter
gb/skˈætɚ/ us/skˈætɚ/
B1
English
~ 9200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Spread small things over an area
To drop or spread many small things so they are in many places on the ground or on a surface.
Usage pattern:
to scatter [things] [over/across] [a place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "scatter" instead of "sprinkle" when talking about putting a thin layer of powder or liquid on something. "Scatter" usually suggests things land in a more random, wider pattern, often with small solid objects. Also, learners may forget the prepositions and say *"scatter seeds the field"* instead of "scatter seeds over the field" or "across the field."
Synonyms
spread (More general; does not always suggest a random, messy pattern the way "scatter" often does.)
Antonyms
gather (Means to bring scattered things together into one place, the opposite direction of action.)
Collocations
scatter seeds
|scatter toys across the floor
|scatter papers on the desk
|scatter leaves over the lawn
|scatter crumbs on the table
Themes
daily life
|movement
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She scattered rose petals along the path before the ceremony.
- The kids ran inside and scattered their shoes across the hallway.
- Wind from the open window scattered the documents all over the office.
- Farmers often scatter seeds by hand over the field.
- He opened the box and coins scattered across the floor.
Learner examples
- The boy scatters his toys on the floor every day.
- She scattered sugar on the top of the cake.
- The wind scattered the leaves across the street.
- Please do not scatter your clothes all over the room.
- He scattered sand over the icy steps.
Verb
B2
action
2
Move apart in many directions
To suddenly go in many different directions so the group is not together anymore.
Usage pattern:
to scatter in/into [different directions/various places]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the transitive sense and say *"the police scattered"* when they mean "the police made the crowd scatter." In this intransitive sense, the subject is the group that moves apart by itself: "The crowd scattered," not *"The crowd scattered them."*
Synonyms
disperse ("Disperse" is slightly more formal and neutral; "scatter" often suggests sudden or panicked movement.)
Antonyms
gather (To come together into one group, the opposite of moving apart.)
Collocations
the crowd scattered
|children scattered in all directions
|protesters scattered
|birds scattered into the sky
|spectators scattered for cover
Themes
movement
|emergencies
|daily_life
Examples
- When the alarm went off, people scattered in all directions.
- The birds scattered as the dog ran towards them.
- As soon as it started to rain, the guests scattered for shelter.
- The children scattered when they heard their parents coming.
- The crowd scattered the moment the first firework exploded.
Learner examples
- The mice scattered when they saw the light.
- When the teacher came in, the students scattered back to their seats.
- The pigeons scattered when the boy ran at them.
- People scattered as the car drove onto the sidewalk.
- The insects scattered when I moved the rock.
unknown
B2
action
3
Make a group disperse
To make a group go away in many different directions so they are not together anymore.
Usage pattern:
to scatter [a crowd/group/animals]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget that this sense is transitive and say *"the police scattered"* instead of "the police scattered the crowd." In this sense, "scatter" must take an object: the thing or group that is being broken up.
Synonyms
disperse (More formal and often used in official or written contexts; "scatter" can sound more vivid or physical.)
Antonyms
assemble (Means to bring people together into a group, opposite of breaking up a group.)
Collocations
scatter the crowd
|scatter the protesters
|scatter the birds
|police scattered the demonstrators
|gunfire scattered the spectators
Themes
movement
|law and order
|daily_life
Examples
- Police used tear gas to scatter the crowd outside the stadium.
- The loud noise scattered the deer that were feeding near the road.
- Security forces moved in to scatter the protesters.
- The dog ran into the yard and scattered the chickens.
- A sudden storm scattered the tourists along the beach.
Learner examples
- The guard shouted and scattered the people standing at the door.
- The loud bang scattered the birds in the trees.
- Police arrived and scattered the teenagers in the park.
- The dog barked and scattered the sheep.
- The teacher's voice scattered the children who were playing in the hall.
Verb
technical
C1
action
4
Deflect particles or waves
In science, to make light, sound, or small particles hit something and then go out in many different directions.
Usage pattern:
to scatter [light/sound/particles] [off/from/through] [a material]
Common mistake:
Learners may think this technical sense is the same as the everyday sense of "spread things around." In physics, the focus is on particles or waves changing direction after hitting something, not on a person throwing or dropping objects.
Synonyms
deflect (Focuses on changing direction; does not always imply spreading into many directions the way "scatter" does in physics.)
Antonyms
focus (To bring waves or rays together into a smaller area, the opposite of making them spread out.)
Collocations
scatter light
|scatter radiation
|scatter electrons
|scatter neutrons
|scatter sound waves
Themes
science
|physics
Examples
- Clouds scatter sunlight, making the sky appear bright even when the sun is hidden.
- The rough surface scatters the laser beam, reducing its intensity.
- Dust in the atmosphere scatters blue light more than red light.
- The material strongly scatters X-rays at certain angles.
- Tiny particles suspended in the water scatter sound waves.
Learner examples
- The fog scatters car lights and makes it hard to see.
- Small drops of water scatter the light from the sun.
- The wall is not smooth, so it scatters the sound.
- Dust in the air scatters light from the lamps.
- The cloud scatters the sunlight in many directions.
Noun
C1
entity
5
Few things spread over area
A small number of things that are not close together, but are spread out over a place.
Usage pattern:
a scatter of [things]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes try to use "scatter" as a countable noun in other patterns, like *"many scatters of houses"*. It is usually used in the fixed pattern "a scatter of [plural noun]" to describe one spread-out group.
Synonyms
sprinkling (Often suggests a light or decorative amount; "scatter" is slightly more neutral and spatial.)
Antonyms
cluster (A close group of things together, opposite of things being spread out.)
Collocations
a scatter of houses
|a scatter of stars
|a light scatter of freckles
|a scatter of islands
|a scatter of toys on the floor
Themes
description
|geography
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- A lonely road wound between a scatter of farmhouses.
- She had a light scatter of freckles across her nose.
- From the plane we could see a scatter of islands in the blue water.
- There was a scatter of books on the otherwise empty shelf.
- The painting shows a scatter of stars against a dark sky.
Learner examples
- We saw a scatter of small houses on the hill.
- There was a scatter of toys on the living-room floor.
- At night I could see a scatter of lights in the valley.
- He has a scatter of gray hairs in his beard.
- A scatter of birds sat in the trees.
Noun
technical
C1
entity
6
Spread of values in data
In statistics, how far data points are from the average and from each other.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this technical noun with the everyday noun meaning a few things spread over an area. In statistics, "scatter" refers specifically to how far data points are from each other or from the average, not to physical objects on the ground.
Synonyms
dispersion (A more formal technical term; often used in the same contexts as "scatter" in statistics.)
Antonyms
concentration (Describes values being close together, opposite of being widely spread out.)
Collocations
data scatter
|measure of scatter
|reduce scatter
|scatter in the results
|scatter plot
Themes
science
|mathematics
Examples
- The large scatter in the data suggests there may be measurement errors.
- We can use standard deviation as a measure of scatter around the mean.
- The points on the graph show considerable scatter, making the trend hard to see.
Learner examples
- There is a lot of scatter in the test scores.
- Researchers looked at the scatter of the points on the chart.
- Less scatter in the data makes it easier to see a pattern.
- They tried to reduce the scatter by taking more careful measurements.
- The scatter shows that the results are not very consistent.
Grammar
Dictionary form
scatter
IPA
GB/skˈætɚ/
US/skˈætɚ/
Syllables & stress
scat - ter (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (scat)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: scatter
Verb
- Base: scatter
- 3rd Person Singular: scatters
- Present Participle: scattering
- Past: scattered
Word family
Forms
scatters
verb
scattering
verb
scattered
verb
Related words
scatterbrain
noun
scatterbrained
adjective C1
Advanced or less common
scattershot
adjective
Expressions
scatter about
1/skˈætɚ əbˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
Leave things lying in many places
To leave small things in many parts of a place so that they are spread out and look untidy.
Examples
- Dirty socks were scattered about the bedroom floor.
- Several coffee cups were scattered about on the meeting table.
- There were notebooks and pens scattered about the office.
scatter around
1/skˈætɚ ɚˈaʊnd/
phrasal verb
Put things in many different places
To put or leave small things in many spots in an area so that they are spread out and not tidy.
Examples
- They had scattered toys around the living room before the guests arrived.
- He likes to scatter plants around the office to make it feel greener.
- Old photographs were scattered around the room in no particular order.
scatter in all directions
1/skˈætɚ ˈɪn ˈɔl dɪɹˈɛkʃənz/
fixed phrase
Move away in many directions
To suddenly move away from one place in many different directions at the same time.
Examples
- When the fire alarm rang, employees scattered in all directions.
- The birds scattered in all directions as the cat jumped.
- The crowd scattered in all directions when the fighting started.
scatter over
1/skˈætɚ ˈoʊvɚ/
phrasal verb
Spread small things on a surface
To spread small things on top of a surface, such as food, ground, or a table.
Examples
- Scatter cheese over the pizza before baking.
- She scattered fresh herbs over the soup.
- Leaves were scattered over the path after the storm.
scatter to the winds
1/skˈætɚ tə ðə wˈɪndz/
idiom
literary
Completely break up or destroy
To completely break up or destroy something, such as hopes, plans, or an organization, so that nothing solid or organized remains.
Examples
- The scandal scattered his reputation to the winds.
- The war scattered their dreams to the winds.
- Years of careful planning were scattered to the winds by a single bad decision.
scatter someone's ashes
1/skˈætɚ sˈʌmwˌʌnz ˈæʃɪz/
fixed phrase
Throw cremated remains over a place
To throw a dead person's cremated remains into the air or over an area, usually in a place that was special to them.
Examples
- They scattered his ashes over the ocean, just as he had wished.
- They scattered his ashes at sea, just as he had asked.
- The family gathered to scatter her ashes in the mountains.
- The family gathered on the hill to scatter her ashes.
- He asked that they scatter his ashes in the garden.
- He wants his ashes to be scattered in the forest where he used to walk.