Verb
He sat with his legs splayed apart.
She splayed her fingers to show off her manicure.
His fingers splayed out over the table as he steadied himself.
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Verb
Folks splayed out on blankets across the grassy lawns, fanned themselves and cooled off with cold beers.—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Sep. 2025 To keep making the most of your grill, try Nosrat’s Joojeh Kebab, where chicken thighs are marinated in yogurt, saffron, and a hit of citrus before being splayed on the barbecue.—Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
The design delivers unsurpassed toe splay, enforced by the separate toe pockets, and a close-to-the-ground, near-barefoot ride.—Jonathan Beverly, Outside Online, 23 June 2025 My students’ affront felt as sensible to me as expecting anatomy classes to flag each splay of flesh.—Erin Khuê Ninh
june 17, Literary Hub, 17 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for splay
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English splaien "to unfurl, spread out, spread-eagle, split (a fish) lengthwise and lay open," aphetic form of displaien "to unfurl (a banner), spread (the arms), display entry 1"
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