Meaning

8 senses
  1. (ergative)To (cause to) separate and go in different directions; to disperse.

    The crowd scattered in terror.

    zerstreuen, zerstreuen

    развеятьrazvejatʹ, разбра́сыватьrazbrásyvatʹ, разброса́тьrazbrosátʹ

    to cause to separate and go in different directions

  2. (transitive)To distribute loosely as by sprinkling.

    Her ashes were scattered at the top of a waterfall.

    streuen, verstreuen, ausstreuen

    разбра́сыватьrazbrásyvatʹ, разброса́тьrazbrosátʹ, разбры́згиватьrazbrýzgivatʹ

    distribute loosely

  3. (transitive)To deflect (radiation or particles).

    streuen

    рассе́иватьrasséivatʹ, рассе́ятьrasséjatʹ

  4. (intransitive)To occur or fall at widely spaced intervals.

  5. (transitive)To frustrate, disappoint, and overthrow.

    to scatter hopes or plans

  6. (transitive)To be dispersed upon.

    Desiccated stalks scattered the fields.

  7. (transitive)Of a pitcher: to spread out a high number of hits or walks between innings so as not to give up a high number of runs

  8. (US, slang)To leave.

    When the police showed up, I scattered.

Examples

135 sentences
  1. Empty cans were scattered about the place.

    ruПо комнате были разбросаны пустые банки. — Hellerick

  2. Newspapers lay scattered all over the floor.

    ruПо всему полу лежали разбросанные газеты. — sigavax

    deZeitungen lagen überall auf dem Fußboden zerstreut. — pne

  3. Broken glass lay scattered all over the road.

    Уламки розбитого скла розсипалися по всій дорозі. — uaspeaker

    ruОсколки разбитого стекла рассыпались по всей дороге. — Hellerick

    deDie Straße war mit Glassplittern übersät. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

  4. The farmers were scattering seed on the fields.

    Хлібороби засівають поля. — aandrusiak

    Tatoeba contributors · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  5. Fragments of the mirror were scattered on the floor.

    Уламки дзеркала були розкидані по підлозі. — ChickenKiev

    ruОсколки зеркала были разбросаны на полу. — Gruzilkin

Translations

7 languages
Русский
By meaning 4
to disperse:
to cause to separate:
to distribute loosely:
physics: to deflect:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
to disperse:
to distribute loosely:

Origin

From Middle English scateren, skateren, also schateren,

From Middle English scateren, skateren, also schateren,

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

scatters, scattering, scattered, scattered
Base formscatter · to scatter
3rd person singularscatters
Present participlescattering
Past simplescattered
Past participlescattered

irregular

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyscatter
he, she, itscatters

Past simpleLesson

all personsscattered

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave scattered
he, she, ithas scattered

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill scatter

Synonyms

9 synonyms
Close in meaning

Word family

35 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
scatter — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto