scatter
C1Neutral to formal. The base meaning is common in everyday and academic contexts; technical uses are domain-specific.
Definition
Meaning
To throw or drop things so that they spread over a wide, often irregular, area.
To cause a group of people or things to separate and go in different directions; (physics) to deflect or diffuse particles or radiation; (in computing/graphics) to distribute data points randomly.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often implies a lack of order, control, or deliberate placement. Unlike 'spread', which can be methodical, 'scatter' suggests a more chaotic, random, or forceful dispersal.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal difference in core meaning or usage. Spelling of derived forms may differ: 'scattered' (both), 'scattering' (both). No significant syntactic variation.
Connotations
Identical.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties. The noun 'scatter' (e.g., 'a scatter of houses') is perhaps slightly more literary and used similarly in both.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[VN] [VN over/across/around something][V] (of a group)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “scatter to the four winds”
- “scatterbrain (derived noun)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in metaphors: 'The market downturn scattered investor confidence.'
Academic
Common in scientific writing: 'The particles scatter light.' 'The data points show a wide scatter.'
Everyday
Common for physical dispersal: 'Don't scatter your toys everywhere.' 'The crowd scattered.'
Technical
Physics: 'Rayleigh scatter.' Statistics: 'scatter plot.' Graphics: 'scatter rendering.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She scattered birdseed across the garden for the robins.
- The police scattered the protesters with a water cannon.
- He tends to scatter his clothes all over the bedroom floor.
American English
- He scattered the old man's ashes over the lake.
- The gunshot made the pigeons scatter in all directions.
- We need to scatter the mulch evenly around the plants.
adverb
British English
- This form is not used ('scatter' as an adverb is non-standard). Use 'scatteredly' (rare).
American English
- This form is not used ('scatter' as an adverb is non-standard). Use 'scatteredly' (rare).
adjective
British English
- We can expect scattered showers throughout the afternoon.
- The village consisted of a few scattered cottages along the valley.
American English
- There were only scattered reports of flooding after the storm.
- He made a few scattered comments but never gave a full opinion.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The wind will scatter the papers.
- The children scattered when the teacher arrived.
- He scattered the seeds in the flowerbed.
- Scattered showers are forecast for the region tomorrow.
- The soldiers scattered for cover as the shells began to fall.
- The graph shows a significant scatter of results around the mean.
- The theory seeks to explain how light is scattered by atmospheric particles.
- His early works are scattered across various obscure journals.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a scared CAT (scat-ter) running and knocking things off a table, causing them to spread everywhere.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISORGANISED THOUGHTS ARE PHYSICAL OBJECTS SCATTERED IN SPACE (e.g., 'My thoughts are scattered.').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'scatter' for systematic distribution (use 'distribute').
- Do not confuse with 'shatter' (разбить).
- Russian 'разбросать' is a close equivalent, but 'scatter' is less likely for intentional, neat placement.
Common Mistakes
- *I scattered the posters on the wall. (Use 'pinned' or 'put up'. 'Scatter' implies no fixed arrangement.)
- Confusing 'scattered' (adj) with 'rare' or 'uncommon'. 'Scattered protests' means geographically dispersed, not infrequent.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'scatter' used INCORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not always. While it often implies randomness, it can be neutral (scatter seeds) or positive (scatter rose petals). The key is lack of orderly arrangement, not negative value.
'Disperse' is more formal and often implies causing a compact group to break up and disappear from view (disperse a crowd). 'Scatter' focuses more on the random spreading of objects or people over an area.
Yes, commonly. E.g., 'The crowd scattered.' It means they quickly moved away in different directions.
A statistical graph using Cartesian coordinates to display values for two variables for a set of data. The 'scatter' of dots reveals the correlation between the variables.