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"scatter" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often dispersion (10 letters).
Definitions
To spread things out in different directions.
Used in a sentence
“The crowd scattered in terror.”
“Scatter and disperse the giddy Goths.”
“Her ashes were scattered at the top of a waterfall.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer2 curated clues
01“Spread apart”7 letters
02“Spread in many directions”7 letters
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