strew

/struː/ (bre, ipa) · [strˈu] /struː/ (ame, ipa) · [strˈu] /ˈstrü How to pronounce strew (audio)/ (ame, mw)

strew — verb

  • strewpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • strewshe / she / it
  • strewedpast simple
  • strewnpast participle
  • strewing-ing form

1. to throw, drop, or leave things so they lie loosely across an area, often in a m

1.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

to throw, drop, or leave things so they lie loosely across an area, often in a messy pattern, or for things to lie there in that way

例句

Putri strewed rose petals across the stage before the choir arrived.

strew + object + across + surface

Broken tiles were strewn across the kitchen floor after the shelf fell.

passive: be strewn across a surface

同義詞
  • scatter

    scatter is more common and broader, while strew often suggests objects lying around in a loose, untidy spread

  • sprinkle

    sprinkle is lighter and is usually used for small drops or bits, not larger objects

  • spread

    spread is more neutral and does not by itself suggest mess or irregular placement

  • litter

    litter focuses on a place being left messy with unwanted things, while strew can be neutral or deliberate

反義詞
  • gather

    to bring scattered things together into one place

  • clear

    to remove things from a surface instead of leaving them spread around

文法句型

strew + noun (things) + across/over/along + noun (surface)

strew + noun (surface) + with + noun (things)

be/lie strewn + across/over/with + noun (surface or material)

用法筆記

Often used in the passive or after verbs like 'lie' when describing what is already on a surface. It usually suggests a loose, untidy spread rather than a neat arrangement, and the pattern 'strew a place with something' is especially common in formal writing.

常見錯誤

The room was strewed by toys.
The room was strewn with toys.
💡Use the irregular past participle 'strewn' and introduce the scattered things with 'with' when the surface is the subject.
She strewed on the floor papers.
She strewed papers on the floor.
💡The things being spread usually come right after the verb, while the surface follows in a prepositional phrase.