spray

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈsprā 

1

: a usually flowering branch or shoot

2

: a decorative flat arrangement of flowers and foliage (as on a coffin)

3

: something (such as a jeweled pin) resembling a spray

spray

2 of 3

noun (2)

1

: water flying in small drops or particles blown from waves or thrown up by a waterfall

2

a

: a jet of vapor or finely divided liquid

disinfectant sprays

b

: a device (such as an atomizer or sprayer) by which a spray is dispersed or applied

c(1)

: an application of a spray or by spraying

(2)

: a substance (such as paint) so applied

spray

3 of 3

verb

sprayed; spraying; sprays

transitive verb

1

: to project spray or something resembling spray on or into

spray the table

spraying the wall with bullets

2

: to disperse or apply as a spray

sprayed some perfume

3

: to shoot many bullets at (someone or something)

They sprayed the house with bullets.

intransitive verb

1

: to break up into spray

2

: to disperse or apply a spray

Soda sprayed from the bottle.

3

: to emit a stream or spray of urine

a cat may spray to mark its territory

sprayer noun

Synonyms of spray

Verb

• sprinkle
• pepper
• dot

Examples of spray in a Sentence

Verb

She sprayed herself with perfume.

The crops are sprayed monthly.

We were sprayed by water from the crashing waves.

The boys sprayed graffiti on the wall.

He sprayed the paint evenly over the surface.

She sprayed some perfume into the air.

The soda sprayed from the bottle.

The blood sprayed onto the wall.

They sprayed the crowd with bullets.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Scientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a new spray that can instantly stop severe bleeding. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 8 Feb. 2026

Many of the herbicides are the same ones being used by lawn spray services. —Tom MacKlin, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026

Verb

The scale of the war effort had necessitated the creation of a health infrastructure on American soil—spraying for mosquitoes near the front lines in the Pacific wouldn’t mean anything if soldiers caught malaria at home before deployment. —Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026

Machines spray out a mixture of compressed air and water from a machine, a process that uses a lot of energy and water. —Simmone Shah, Time, 9 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English *spræg, spræc

Noun (2)

obsolete English spray to sprinkle, from Middle Dutch sprayen

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1829, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Phrases Containing spray

• cooking spray
• hair spray
• pepper spray
• spray can
• spray gun
• spray paint
• spray tan

Rhymes for spray

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

Kids Definition

spray

1 of 3 noun

ˈsprā 

: a usually flowering branch or shoot

spray

2 of 3 noun

1

: liquid flying in fine drops like water blown from a wave

2

a

: a burst of fine mist (as from an atomizer)

b

: a device (as an atomizer) for scattering a spray

spray

3 of 3 verb

1

: to scatter or apply as a spray

2

: to scatter spray on or into

sprayer noun

Medical Definition

spray

1 of 2 noun

ˈsprā 

: a jet of vapor or finely divided liquid

specifically : a jet of fine medicated vapor used as an application to a diseased part or to charge the air of a room with a disinfectant or deodorant

spray

2 of 2 intransitive verb

: to emit a stream or spray of urine

a cat may spray to mark its territory

Legal Definition

spray

transitive verb

: to disperse among a number of recipients

authorized to spray trust income

—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.