How to Use scatter in a Sentence

scatter

1 of 2 verb
  • The wind scattered the pile of leaves.
  • The marbles scattered across the floor.
  • She scattered the books on the table.
  • He scatters his toys all around the house.
  • Search for a short stay on Airbnb, and there are few places scattered across the map.
    Amanda Hoover, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2023
  • Break off small clumps and scatter all over the top of the blackberries.
    Ellise Pierce, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024
  • The string of islands are scattered far off the coast of Nayarit, some 62 miles out to sea.
    Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2024
  • The sheep scattered into the green pastures on the other side.
    Jayne Orenstein, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
  • But to Iowa alums and fans scattered across the country, this moment is about more than records.
    Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024
  • Onion peels were scattered on the floor, mixing with concrete and dust.
    Kamila Hrabchuk, Washington Post, 25 Dec. 2023
  • This lipstick features a range of deep pinks and reds with a few nudes scattered in.
    Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 14 June 2023
  • The goats start to scatter, and an officer claps his hands and tells them to keep moving.
    Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Video of the aftermath shows a crater about 40 feet wide with debris scattered around it.
    Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 25 Jan. 2024
  • We're all scattered across the country and have decided to kick off the new decade in our favorite U.S. cities.
    Emily Belfiore, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2024
  • Avoid glaring overheads and pick warm, glowing lights to scatter around the space.
    Abby Wilson, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Jan. 2024
  • Overnight lows will fall to the 50s, with cloud cover more scattered than the previous morning.
    Anthony Edwards, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 May 2023
  • Balloons shaped like eyes and neon green ones with bats were also scattered into the mix.
    Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 16 Oct. 2023
  • For an eagle's-eye view, take a hot-air balloon ride at sunrise to see the temples scattered across the lush landscape.
    Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2023
  • The ceiling fans were off to prevent the sheet music from scattering.
    Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2023
  • Broken glass and bullet casings were scattered on the floor.
    Josh Yager, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2024
  • The frustration of the US fans at Eden Park was evident at the break, when there were scattered boos as the teams headed for the tunnel.
    Anne M. Peterson, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2023
  • Shannan had last been seen in the area near his home, and her belongings were found scattered in the marsh behind his house.
    Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 14 July 2023
  • Arrange them in stacks or loosely scattered below the tree.
    Linley Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2023
  • Bello scattered nine hits and three walks while striking out four.
    Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2023
  • Books and personal items lay scattered around the rubble.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024
  • Aries Rising Were your careful plans scattered to the winds over the holidays?
    Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Dec. 2023
  • The storms are likely to be scattered to widespread, with the main threats the chance of some damaging wind gusts and hail, along with lightning and heavy rain.
    Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Photos taken at the crash site show debris scattered all over the roadway.
    A.c. Thompson, ProPublica, 13 June 2023
  • Photos show the stone artifacts scattered around the ancient site.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
  • There are a total of four stone fireplaces scattered throughout the property, including outside and in the private study room on the bottom floor.
    Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
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scatter

2 of 2 noun
  • Squeeze with the roasted lemo and scatter with the herbs.
    Melissa Clark, Dallas News, 20 Dec. 2022
  • It’s not yet eight o’clock, and stars scatter across the inky sky.
    Lauren Mechling, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2022
  • And that’s what’s known as a bail out and they all scatter.
    Katie Byrne, Fox News, 4 Mar. 2021
  • When a great tree falls, the birds, with no branch to perch on, scatter.
    Kwame Alexander, Bon Appétit, 25 May 2021
  • Stir in the coconut flakes and scatter on top of the cake batter.
    Tribune News Service, cleveland, 6 Apr. 2021
  • Every time a car races out of the fog, the birds startle and scatter.
    Paul Yoon, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2021
  • Butter a baking dish and scatter or layer the bread in the dish.
    Susan Selasky, USA TODAY, 23 Dec. 2021
  • Then gunfire rang out and the crowd started to scatter.
    Marcus Yam, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Aug. 2021
  • Top each mushroom with the basil breadcrumbs and scatter with a few basil leaves.
    Hetty McKinnon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2022
  • If that doesn’t work, just start coughing wildly, and watch the good folks scatter.
    Hannah Herrera Greenspan, chicagotribune.com, 5 Aug. 2020
  • As the sisters scatter, one of them slips the halo into Ava's body.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 3 July 2020
  • Spread crema or thinned sour cream over the top and scatter shredded cheese over that.
    Tribune News Service, cleveland, 11 May 2021
  • Later in the clip, the pallbearers scatter and the person on the stretcher stands up and runs away.
    Daniel Funke, USA TODAY, 14 May 2021
  • The energy of the sun makes the ice turn directly into gas and makes the dust scatter.
    Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2023
  • Luke Eaton and Jude Box combined to scatter 6 hits and 7 strikeouts for Huntsville.
    Chip Souza, Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2022
  • Because Lake had burned the area before, the fuel load was light: a thin scatter of leaves and twigs.
    Kiliii Yüyan, History & Culture, 17 Dec. 2020
  • In a large bowl, toss beets, garlic and olive oil; scatter on a rimmed baking sheet.
    Dallas News, 16 Apr. 2021
  • To serve, pour about half of the juices over the meat on the platter and scatter with the reserved vegetables if desired.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2022
  • Many members of the mob scatter after the man appears to lie motionless on the ground in a pool of blood.
    Fox News, 1 June 2020
  • Spoon batter into the pan, scatter the crumb mixture over the top.
    The New York Times News Service Syndicate, The Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2020
  • City staff hung fake dead crows around the plaza and pointed a $20 green laser from Amazon at the tree tops, all in the hopes of getting the birds to scatter.
    Andres Picon, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Jan. 2022
  • Transfer the bread mixture to the baking sheet and scatter it around the duck, placing some bread pieces under the duck.
    Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2020
  • In their scramble for safety, shoppers run straight through racks of clothes, and items scatter across the floor.
    Dallas Morning News, 31 July 2020
  • Wedges of cheese get slimmer, stacks of crackers scatter across the table.
    Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 25 June 2021
  • Diarrhea and nasal discharge scatter new bits of virus across the farm.
    Boyce Upholt, The New Republic, 19 Sep. 2022
  • Squeeze on a generous amount of lemon juice and scatter on a bunch of fresh herbs like parsley.
    Matthew Kadey, Outside Online, 18 Aug. 2022
  • The children scatter and a girl who is part of the group falls backward on the sidewalk and begins screaming.
    Martin Weil, Washington Post, 25 May 2022
  • Some clumps will be larger, some smaller, and there will be a small amount of fine streusel sand at the bottom of the bowl; scatter it all over the top of the cake.
    Jessica Battilana, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Nov. 2021
  • The camera whirls, briefly catching a glimpse of the sun scorching the sands as people scatter for safety.
    New York Times, 19 Aug. 2021
  • These types of scatter weapons are imprecise by design and are banned by more than 100 countries.
    Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 8 Dec. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scatter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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