as in spreading
to cause to move outward and apart
He sat with his legs splayed apart. She splayed her fingers to show off her manicure.
Related Words
Relevance
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 splaying
Weah often stayed high, with Miles Robinson splaying out to the right touchline in a traditional right fullback position.
—
Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Bob came out, blinking his eyes hard and closing his big fists tight, splaying his fingers back out in a pink baby starfish.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Bob came out, blinking his eyes hard and closing his big fists tight, splaying his fingers back out in a pink baby starfish.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splaying
Verb
-
Nasty Northwest In the Northwest, a storm system will come ashore by Halloween, spreading coastal and valley rain and some mountain snow.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Next, prepare the pesto-mayo spread by combining Trader Joe’s pesto with Kewpie mayo, then spreading it evenly on both halves of the focaccia to provide a rich, flavorful foundation for the layers to come.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The move comes as Puma evolves its organizational set-up by splitting its DTC business into two dedicated global retail and global e-commerce focus areas.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The Cougars cushion was short-lived however because Levi Johnson scored for the Eagles (15-3-2) less than three minutes later by splitting a couple defenders at the top of the box, poking the ball past the goalie before pushing the ball across the line.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Do this in the early evening while there's still daylight and the ground is radiating heat.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The green leaves radiating from the base of each dandelion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Splaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splaying. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share