scatter
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To cause to separate and go in different directions.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
skaterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈskætɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
ergative
To cause to separate and go in different directions
“She waved her hand and scattered the crowds.”
transitive
To distribute loosely as by sprinkling.
“He scattered gun powder under the wagon.”
transitive
To frustrate, disappoint, and overthrow.
intransitive
To occur or fall at widely spaced intervals.
transitive
To be dispersed upon.
noun
The act of scattering or dispersing.
A collection of dispersed objects.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To cause to separate and go in different directions
Used this way, scatter is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“She waved her hand and scattered the crowds.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Causeverb
“She waved her hand and scattered the crowds.”
Distributeverb
“He scattered gun powder under the wagon.”
More ways to use scatter
- “She waved her hand and scattered the crowds.”verb
- “He scattered gun powder under the wagon.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A small rug.
Small pin usually worn in groups of two or more.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to cause to separate and go in different directions
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.