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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in handful
a small number
a scattering of people in the mostly empty theater
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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
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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
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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
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of scattering
science.org, 3 July 2024
Light scattering is also why the sky appears blue during the day.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2024
NBC News, 11 Oct. 2024
Crews have been scattering millions of seeds of native plants to restore vegetation on 2,200 acres of reservoir bottomlands that were underwater for generations.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scattering 
Noun
In the lab, the researchers created membranes made purely of lipids extracted from the jellies and observed them under different pressures using x-ray scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy.
—science.org, 3 July 2024
Light scattering is also why the sky appears blue during the day.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 27 May 2024
Verb
The tops of palm trees are being shredded and sent scattering into the dark.
—NBC News, 11 Oct. 2024
Crews have been scattering millions of seeds of native plants to restore vegetation on 2,200 acres of reservoir bottomlands that were underwater for generations.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scattering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scattering
Noun
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On the range, Hunter would hit five or 10 balls to the 100-yard marker, then the 50-yard marker, then the 150-yard marker, then walk out and measure the shot dispersion, write it in the notebook, and do it repeatedly.Scott Kramer, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
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Recent research by Chamba and colleagues has also shed light on the role that supernovas might play in the dispersion of gas within a galaxy — where 'stellar feedback' can influence the inflows and outflows of gas in a galaxy which either supports or negates star formation.Conor Feehly, Discover Magazine, 15 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Mack played only a handful of snaps because of a groin injury.Elliott Teaford, Orange County Register, 10 Nov. 2024
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But only a handful of jurisdictions are performing close to that level — typically smaller, wealthier cities with fewer miles of road to maintain.Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Both are refillable and have an airless pump so it can be applied at any angle while dispersing the perfect amount of product.Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
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That includes not just dispersing the cast, but shocking the audience with twists that seem outside the series’ purview, like when trader Rishi’s (Sagar Radia) loan shark suddenly shoots his wife in the head, instantly killing her.Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2024
Noun
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Architects and acousticians take this responsibility seriously, calculating the dispersal of sound waves, evaluating the properties of materials, and finding precise mathematical definitions for intuitive descriptors like clarity, balance, and warmth.Justin Davidson, Curbed, 16 Oct. 2024
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Replant hillsides, native grasses, and wildflowers with this tool which allows for uniform dispersal which will not only aid in erosion, but also stabilize the soil and promote biodiversity.Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 15 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The couple were schoolteachers, local news reports say.Ryan J. Foley, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2024
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Before the last couple months of last season, Davis likely had some work to do before NHL teams might be interested in signing the undrafted free agent.Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
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After four close losses in five weeks, options for USC, magical or otherwise, are disappearing fast.Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024
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Until then, the comet will gradually rise and lose its brightness before disappearing sometime in early November, according to NASA.Ty Roush, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
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When the moon moves into the inner part of Earth's shadow, or umbra, according to NASA, some of the sunlight entering Earth's skies scatters before reaching the moon's surface.Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 29 Oct. 2024
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Scattered light rays that enter the eye pass through multiple ocular components that reduce the scatter to focus the rays onto the retina, which converts the light into an electrical signal that is transferred through the optic nerve.Gary Stix, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near scattering
Cite this Entry
“Scattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scattering. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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