¹scatter

verb scat·ter \ˈska-tər\

: to cause (things or people) to separate and go in different directions

: to separate and go in different directions

: to place or leave (things) in different places

Full Definition of SCATTER

transitive verb

a : to cause to separate widely

b : to cause to vanish

archaic : to fling away heedlessly : squander

: to distribute irregularly

: to sow by casting in all directions : strew

a : to reflect irregularly and diffusely

b : to cause (a beam of radiation) to diffuse or disperse

: to divide into ineffectual small portions

intransitive verb

: to separate and go in various directions : disperse

: to occur or fall irregularly or at random

— scat·ter·er \-tər-ər\ noun

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Origin of SCATTER

Middle English scateren, schateren to disperse, break up, destroy; akin to Middle Dutch schaderen to scatter

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to SCATTER

Synonyms: clear out, disband, dispel, disperse, dissipate, squander

Antonyms: assemble, cluster, collect, concentrate, congregate, gather, ingather

Synonym Discussion of SCATTER

scatter, disperse, dissipate, dispel mean to cause to separate or break up. scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions <the bowling ball scattered the pins>. disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group <police dispersed the crowd>. dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance <the fog was dissipated by the morning sun>. dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering <an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt>.