If you hear someone shout "Everybody scatter!” that person wants everyone to spread out and leave the area. Scatter is a verb that means "to separate suddenly and spread out in different directions."
- Pronunciation: /ˈskætə/
- English descripiton: If someone scatters a lot of things, or if they scatter, they are thrown or dropped over a wide area in an irregular way
- Chinese Translation: v.使分散(shi4 fen1 san4)
- Spanish Translation: Esparcir
- STORY: Scatter is sometimes used as a noun to refer to something that has been scattered. If you have clothes strewn all over your room, you might say there is a scatter of clothes on the floor. More commonly, though, scatter is used as a verb meaning “to spread about.” You might scatter grass seed on your front lawn in the spring. Scatter can also mean “break up or disperse.” The police, for instance, might scatter an unruly mob or gathering.
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
- Small ice-covered lakes lay scattered here and there, many of them free of snow, probably because the winds coming off the ocean swept them bare. New York Times Feb 25, 2015
- His notes have been scattered and it’s not clear from the official records how often or how extensive the searches of the store were.
- The farmer scattered the seed on the field.