smattering 1 of 2

noun

ˈsma-tə-riŋ How to pronounce smattering (audio)
Definition of smatteringnext
as in handful
a small number a smattering of guests at the art exhibit

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

smattering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of smatter
as in blathering

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smattering
Noun
Many K-8th grade students receive a smattering of foreign language instruction (a day or two a week, or a quarter), but then they are expected to take year-long courses in foreign language in high school to satisfy university requirements. — Doug Wojcieszak, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 After the Maple Fire the year before, all that was left of the towering trees was a smattering of survivors looking over a sea of skinny, pencil-like sticks sprouting from the charred dirt. — Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026 There is a single stage, and over the course of six days, contestants take it one after another to play one song for a panel of judges and a smattering of spectators. — David Alm, Longreads, 1 Oct. 2026 In a particularly Ethan Hunt-ish twist, the actor wears a rubbery disguise—a potbellied suit, a scraggly gray comb-over, and a smattering of old-guy makeup. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for smattering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smattering
  1. handful
  2. pattering
  3. couple
  4. trolling
  5. chattering
  6. bleating
  7. sputtering
  8. jabbering
Noun
  • Rugged island Flores, located in the southeast of the Indonesian archipelago, is one of a handful of islands in the world’s most populous Muslim nation with a Christian majority, with 80% of its two million inhabitants identifying as Roman Catholic.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 22 Oct. 2026
  • That’s 35% of the value of the S&P 500 and the highest concentration in a handful of stocks since just before the crash of 1929.
    — Ming Lu, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of handful
Verb
  • The interview was interrupted multiple times because of rain pattering against the barn roof where it was being held.
    — Emily Chang, ABC News, 7 June 2026
  • Benito finds community with the like-minded Pleneros de la Cresta, who have been playing the island’s pattering folk music for over a decade.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Definition of pattering
Noun
  • She was represented by an attorney, and, as is standard in surrogacy cases, there was an agreement — a contract — between the French couple and the woman.
    — Jim Defede, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Entertainment Weekly has reached out to the couple for more information on Becca’s cancer diagnosis and her upcoming treatment.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of couple
Verb
  • Berg suspects that much of it was trolling, but the episode prompted him to change his practices.
    — Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The Rams are now trolling the people who picked them as the Super Bowl favorites before the season began.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of trolling
Verb
  • Together the duo enjoy scaring themselves into a teeth-chattering but delightful evening.
    — Liz Rosenberg, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026
  • There was something that got a lot of people chattering in the world of math.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of chattering
Verb
  • However, the animals did survive and seemed set on helping their family survive too, repeatedly bleating and stomping on the debris covering the bunker.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
  • Players started bleating, serenading James with sounds deserving of the GOAT — greatest of all time.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
Definition of bleating
Verb
  • But the problem is, Miami’s offense kept sputtering most of the game.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
  • His Toronto Maple Leafs, on the heels of three straight first-round playoff exits, were sputtering in November with a 9-10-4 record.
    — Janson Duench, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of sputtering
Verb
  • In an eventual 57-point Hurricanes victory, Stevenson was balling and jabbering about it, too, to every Wildcats pass catcher within earshot.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Definition of jabbering

Browse Nearby Words

smattered
smattering
smatterings
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Cite this Entry

“Smattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smattering. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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