1. the action of spreading or dispersing things over a wide area
2. a small number of things spread over a wide area
3. the deflection of particles or waves in various directions
Usage: physics

1. spread widely apart; dispersed

Examples

• The scattering of seeds by the wind helps plants reproduce.
• There was only a scattering of people at the early morning concert.
• The scattering of light through a prism creates a rainbow.
• A scattering of houses dotted the hillside.
• The scattering of protesters made it difficult to organize effectively.
• Scientists studied the scattering of electrons in the experiment.
• The scattering clouds revealed patches of blue sky.