[scat.ter] vb [ME scateren] vt (14c) 1 a: to cause to separate widely b: to cause to vanish
2. archaic: to fling away heedlessly: squander
3: to distribute irregularly
4: to sow by casting in all directions: strew
5. a: to reflect irregularly and diffusely b: to cause (a beam of radiation) to diffuse or disperse
6: to divide into ineffectual small portions ~ vi 1: to separate and go in various directions: disperse
2: to occur or fall irregularly or at random -- scat.ter.er n syn 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".
[2]scatter n (1642) 1: the act of scattering
2: a small quantity or number irregularly distributed or strewn about: scattering
3: the state or extent of being scattered; esp: dispersion