spatter

¹spat·ter

verb \ˈspa-tər\

Definition of SPATTER

intransitive verb

: to spurt forth in scattered drops <blood spattering everywhere>

transitive verb

1

: to splash with or as if with a liquid; also : to soil in this way <his coat was spattered with mud>

2

: to scatter by or as if by splashing <spatter water>

3

: to cover with or as if with splashes or spots

4

: to cast aspersions on : defame <spattered my reputation>

Examples of SPATTER

1. The dog jumped in the pool and spattered us with water.
2. His clothes were spattered with paint.
3. When you cook bacon, the grease spatters everywhere.
4. He showed me how to use the paintbrush so the paint wouldn't spatter.

Origin of SPATTER

akin to Frisian spatterje to spatter, Middle Dutch bespatten to splash

First Known Use: 1600

Related to SPATTER

Synonyms

dash, slop, slosh, splash, swash

Related Words

dabble, lap, plash, wash; spray, sprinkle, spritz; squirt

Rhymes with SPATTER

attar, batter, blatter, chatter, clatter, flatter, hatter, latter, matter, natter, patter, plaiter, platter, ratter, scatter, shatter, smatter, splatter, tatter

²spatter

noun

Definition of SPATTER

1

a : the act or process of spattering : the state of being spattered

b : the noise of spattering

2

a : a drop or splash spattered on something or a spot or stain due to spattering

b : a small amount or number : sprinkle <a spatter of applause>

Examples of SPATTER

1. There were grease spatters all over the wall.
2. The floor was covered with spatters of paint.
3. There was a lot of paint spatter on the floor.

First Known Use of SPATTER

1797

Related to SPATTER

Synonyms

ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, peanuts, ray, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge), snap, soupçon, spark, particle, speck, splash, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, trace

Related Words

hoot, iota, jot, minim, minimum, modicum, semblance, syllable, tittle, vestige, whit; atom, dot, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, scrap; dash, drop, pinch; part, portion, section; bite, nibble, taste; handful, scattering, smatter, smattering; dose, shot; chip, flake, fragment, shard, shiver, sliver, smithereens, splinter; shred, tatter; clipping, paring, shaving

Near Antonyms

abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings (also lashins) [chiefly British], loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, oodles, passel, peck, pile, plenty, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, wad, wealth; volume; bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overflow, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus; chunk, hunk, lump, slab

Rhymes with SPATTER

batter, chatter, clatter, flatter, matter, natter, patter, plaiter, scatter, shatter, smatter, splatter, tatter