strew

verb

ˈstrü 

strewed; strewed or strewn ˈstrün  ; strewing

transitive verb

1

: to spread by scattering

2

: to cover by or as if by scattering something

strewing the highways with litter

3

: to become dispersed over as if scattered

4

: to spread abroad : disseminate

Synonyms

• bestrew
• dot
• pepper
• scatter
• sow
• spot
• spray
• sprinkle

Examples of strew in a Sentence

She strewed the birdseed on the ground.

sidewalks strewed with trash left by the parade watchers

Recent Examples on the Web

Aerial footage of the scene, shared by multiple local news outlets, showed a broken guardrail and debris strewn across the roadway. —Abigail Adams, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025

The muscular and eye-catching facade, with its four rows of arched windows strewn across the middle section, feels both historic and strikingly modern. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2025

Many of the buildings show the scars of the years of conflict — windows blown out and boarded up, chunks of rubble strewn around from shells hitting concrete. —Clarissa Ward, CNN, 18 Mar. 2025

Local roads and back streets are strewn with risk and unpredictability. —Brooke Crothers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English strewen, strowen, from Old English strewian, strēowian; akin to Old High German strewen to strew, Latin struere to heap up, sternere to spread out, Greek stornynai

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for strew

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

strew

verb

ˈstrü 

strewed; strewed or strewn ˈstrün  ; strewing

1

: to spread (as seeds) by scattering

2

: to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on

strewing the highways with litter

3

: to spread around as if sowing seeds : disseminate