scatter away

USAGE SUMMARY

"scatter away" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It generally means to disperse or break up quickly. For example, "When the police sirens neared, the protestors quickly scattered away."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

During the dot-com boom, theorists predicted that in a wired age, when people could work wherever they wanted, they would scatter away from central cities.

The New York Times

Droplets of sulfuric acid spewed into the atmosphere scatter away blue light, creating vivid crimson twilights.

Science Magazine

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Jupiter would have scattered away many of the original asteroids, but slowly.

The New York Times - Science

This refraction eliminates both the red end of the spectrum (red light is not bent enough by the air layer to form part of the second image) and the blue frequencies (which are scattered away: this selective scattering is why the sky is blue).

The Economist

An alternate idea, however, is that Jupiter, nudged by leftover gas and dust in the early solar system, migrated inward to where Mars orbits today, scattering away the asteroids, and later was pulled outward again by the gravity of Saturn, and in its wake pulled back some asteroids.

The New York Times - Science

Radar scatters away from a satellite very efficiently over water surfaces.

BBC

When the angular misalignment is occured by actuating cantilever as shown in Figure 1 (b), the incident light is scattered away from the source.

Micro and Nano Systems Letters

The Si PKA then scatters away to occupy an interstitial site (Siint), and the replaced Si moves back to the lattice site of PKA.

Nanoscale Research Letters

Then neutrons would be scattered away from the interior walls of a collimator following very few collisions, with an insignificant loss in energy.

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Physics

The Lambert-Beer law is built around absorption and scattering away from the detector, whereas the Kubelka-Munk model is mainly developed for scattering materials and not highly absorbing materials.

Journal of the European Optical Society-Rapid Publications

Then the door shut and their sounds scattered away down the corridor.

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "scatter away" to vividly describe a sudden, forceful dispersal of objects or people. For example, "The wind scattered the leaves away from the porch."

Common error

Avoid using "scatter away" when a simpler verb like "disperse" or "spread" is more appropriate. "Scatter away" implies a more sudden and forceful action.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "scatter away" functions primarily as a verb phrase, indicating an action of dispersing or driving something in different directions. The addition of "away" emphasizes the resulting separation or movement. Ludwig AI confirms its correct and usable nature.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "scatter away" functions as a verb phrase that describes the act of dispersing something in multiple directions. According to Ludwig AI, this is a correct and usable English phrase, although it is relatively rare. It is primarily found in News & Media and Science contexts. The phrase vividly emphasizes movement and dispersal, and it is often used to describe a sudden, forceful action. Related phrases include "disperse" and "spread out", offering alternative ways to express similar concepts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

disperse

This alternative is more general and lacks the sense of forceful or sudden movement implied by "away".

spread out

This alternative emphasizes the expansion over an area, rather than a movement from a starting point.

break up

This alternative focuses on the disintegration of a group, rather than a directed movement.

flee

This alternative suggests escaping from danger, adding an element of urgency absent from the original phrase.

dissipate

This alternative implies a gradual fading or vanishing, rather than an immediate scattering.

vanish

This alternative suggests a complete disappearance with no trace, going beyond simple scattering.

disband

This alternative refers to the formal dissolution of a group or organization, differing from the more general scattering.

diverge

This alternative emphasizes movement in different directions, but lacks the forcefulness of "scatter".

move apart

This alternative is a more literal and less vivid way of describing separation.

fly apart

Adds a sense of explosive force, suitable only in specific contexts

FAQs

How can I use "scatter away" in a sentence?

You can use "scatter away" to describe the action of something being dispersed or driven off in various directions. For example, "The loud noise caused the birds to scatter away."

What's a synonym for "scatter away"?

Some synonyms for "scatter away" include "disperse", "spread out", or "break up". The best choice depends on the specific context.

Is it better to say "scatter" or "scatter away"?

Both "scatter" and "scatter away" can be correct, but "scatter away" often emphasizes the movement or direction of the scattering. Using "scatter" is simpler and often sufficient, unless the "away" adds important context.

What does "scatter away" imply that "scatter" doesn't?

"Scatter away" explicitly includes a sense of movement in a specific direction, highlighting that the objects are not just scattered but also moving apart from a central point. This directional emphasis is less pronounced with simply "scatter".