strew
[ stroo ]
verb (used with object),strewed, strewn [stroon] /strun/ or strewed, strew·ing.
to let fall in separate pieces or particles over a surface; scatter or sprinkle: to strew seed in a garden bed.
to cover or overspread (a surface, place, etc.) with something scattered or sprinkled: to strew a floor with sawdust.
to be scattered or sprinkled over (a surface): Sawdust strewed the floor.
to spread widely; disseminate: to strew rumors among the troops.
Origin of strew
1First recorded before 1000; Middle English strewen, Old English strewian; cognate with German streuen, Old Norse strā, Gothic straujan; akin to Latin sternere “to spread” (see stratum)
synonym study For strew
1. See sprinkle.
Other words for strew
Opposites for strew
Other words from strew
- strew·er, noun
- un·der·strew, verb (used with object), un·der·strewed, un·der·strewn or un·der·strewed, un·der·strew·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for strew
strew
/ (struː) /
verbstrews, strewing, strewed, strewn or strewed
to spread or scatter or be spread or scattered, as over a surface or area
Origin of strew
1Old English streowian; related to Old Norse strā, Old High German streuwen, Latin struere to spread
Derived forms of strew
- strewer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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