spatter

play

verb spat·ter \ 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

See spatter defined for English-language learners

See spatter defined for kids

Examples of spatter in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of spatter from the Web

In front of the house, blood was spattered on the sidewalk.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "Central City shooting leaves 1 with multiple gunshot wounds: NOPD," 9 July 2017
Schillace said spots that Spenzer found on Rasor's collar turned out to be blood, possibly spatter from the shooting.

— cleveland.com, "John Spenzer, Cleveland's first forensic scientist, loomed large 100 years ago (photos)," 9 July 2017
Blood was spattered on a green Ford Escape SUV in the small parking lot of Club B.A.M. Blood also stained the north side of the lot and spilled toward Northwest First Street at Northwest 28th Terrace, where before dawn, a man was found dead.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Two dead, one hurt after gunfire near Fort Lauderdale, investigators say," 5 July 2017
Gruff and often scowling, restaurant work has left her hands patterned with small knife cuts and her forearms spattered by ugly oil burns.

— Washington Post, "Finding comfort, and North Korea, in a tiny restaurant," 27 June 2017
Akenina swiftly amended that when a gust of wind blew her beer cup off a nearby table, spattering her feet with foam.

— james ellingworth, The Seattle Times, "Russians hit the bar as beer ban lifted for Confed Cup," 23 June 2017
Blood was spattered throughout much of the living room and kitchen, an arrest warrant said.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "DNA links second man to Coral Springs murder case, police say," 16 June 2017
During these spectacles, at home the scandal news came not in drips but spattering gouts.

— eliot a. cohen, The Atlantic, "What Did Trump Accomplish on His First Foreign Trip?," 28 May 2017
The air is sweet and the sun has broken through the clouds and spattering rain.

— jackie burrell, The Mercury News, "Central Oregon adventures: Lava caves, rivers and joy," 30 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spatter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of spatter

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1600

See Words from the same year

spatter Synonyms

Synonyms

dash, slop, slosh, splash, swash

Related Words

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

spatter

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

See spatter defined for English-language learners

Examples of spatter in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of spatter from the Web

Besides these obstacles, possible showers in the Sunday forecast may turn oil spatters and tire grit into a slippery sluice, following a record 53 or more days without measurable precipitation.

— mike lindblom, The Seattle Times, "Seattle’s Montlake Bridge to close: Your guide to weekend traffic woes," 10 Aug. 2017
Every sign of life became part of the design: an obelisk shape from machine sparks, a snake-style hoist rail, paint spatter, and scratches in the wood floors.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "See the amazing transformation of this century-old warehouse into a trendy home," 24 July 2017
Over on Florida Avenue, blue evidence cones marked more blood spatters and one projectile recovered in the street.

— michelle hunter, NOLA.com, "After shooting victim refuses to talk, Kenner police track blood trail, authorities say," 7 July 2017
The 1997 Times-Picayune story says the jury heard an expert witness for the prosecution testify that blood spatter patterns implicated East, who was sitting behind Brown in the car.

— emily lane, NOLA.com, "Angola lifer, 44, no longer fated to die in prison after review of 1997 murder conviction," 13 June 2017
Aquarius's drumming hammers and spatters like a hailstorm, and the deranged buzzsaw of Koreman's distorted noise swirls, yaws, and lunges like a howling wind trying to tear the windows out of your house.

— philip montoro, Chicago Reader, "Danielle Sines of Impulsive Hearts on a 16-year-old who cowrote a doo-wop hit," 29 May 2017
Microwaving the bacon is a safe, simple shortcut that prevents grease spatters and speeds cooking.

— kate washington, sacbee.com, "Simple and Wow! A breakfast kids can make for Mother’s Day," 9 May 2017
The props team is asked to intensify the blood spatters that decorate various handkerchiefs and garments throughout the show.

— margaret gray, latimes.com, "Diary of a world premiere: Join playwright Rajiv Joseph as the curtain rises on his 'Archduke'," 5 May 2017
In the shop’s dim cinder-block office, blood spatter glowed purple when Texas Rangers sprayed luminol on the walls.

— jeremy raff, The Atlantic, "The Border Patrol's Corruption Problem," 5 May 2017

First Known Use of spatter

1797

spatter Synonyms

SPATTER Defined for English Language Learners

spatter

play

verb

Definition of spatter for English Language Learners

: to cause drops of a liquid to be thrown forcefully in different directions

spatter

noun

Definition of spatter for English Language Learners

: a mark made when something wet hits a surface

SPATTER Defined for Kids

spatter

play

verb spat·ter \ ˈspa-tər \

Definition of spatter for Students

spattered; spattering

1 :to splash with drops or small bits of something wet

Don't spatter the floor with paint.

2 :to scatter by splashing

A passing car spattered mud on my clothes.

Headscratcher for spatter

You can add one letter to spatter to form the synonym “splatter,” or you can change one letter to form the related word “scatter.”

spatter

noun

Definition of spatter for Students

1 :the act or sound of something splashing in drops

the spatter of rain on a roof

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

a grease spatter

Learn More about spatter

See words that rhyme with spatter Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spatter Spanish Central: Translation of spatter Nglish: Translation of spatter for Spanish speakers

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Examples of spatter in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of spatter

spatter Synonyms

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spatter

Definition of spatter

Examples of spatter in a Sentence

Recent Examples of spatter from the Web

First Known Use of spatter

spatter Synonyms

Synonyms

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SPATTER Defined for English Language Learners

spatter

Definition of spatter for English Language Learners

spatter

Definition of spatter for English Language Learners

SPATTER Defined for Kids

spatter

Definition of spatter for Students

Headscratcher for spatter

spatter

Definition of spatter for Students

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