strewn

[ stroon ]

adjective

1. covered or overspread with something scattered or sprinkled (used in combination):

   We saw men, women, and children scavenging for recyclables, both in the actual dump site and along the garbage-strewn streets of the city.

2. dropped in separate pieces or particles over a surface; scattered:

   The dancers led a candlelight procession through the district, following a path of strewn marigold petals.

verb

1. a past participle of strew.

Other Words From

• un·strewed adjective
• un·strewn adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of strewn¹

First recorded in 1610–20 as a verb, and in 1725–35 as an adjective

Example Sentences

Images show debris strewn across the highway as one of the vehicles appeared to have hit the back of the other.

From BBC

Fallen electricity pylons lined the motorway from the capital's west to Artemisa, and towns along the route were strewn with branches and debris from damaged homes.

From BBC

Many seemed scrupulously cared for, but in others a rotted half-sprung mattress would block an upper floor window, with trash strewn in the yard.

From Salon

Authorities found Payne’s Buenos Aires hotel room strewn with drug paraphernalia, and an autopsy showed “pink cocaine,” a mix of designer drugs, in his bloodstream.

From Los Angeles Times

From the jumble of magazines and Ohtani literature strewn about on the coffee table in the waiting area, Kanno produced a copy of Ohtani’s Mandala Chart, a list of life goals arranged in interconnected squares that the baseball phenom wrote as a sophomore in high school.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• intermittent
• isolated
• occasional
• sporadic