splays; splayed; splaying
: to move (things, especially your legs, fingers, etc.) out and apart from each other
He sat with his legs splayed apart.
Her son was splayed out [=spread out, stretched out] on the couch watching TV.
She splayed her fingers to show off her manicure.
His fingers splayed out over the table as he steadied himself.
Cite this Entry
“Splay.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/splay. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy Citation
