as in to spread
to cause to move outward and apart
He sat with his legs splayed apart. She splayed her fingers to show off her manicure.
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Recent Examples of splay
Neither do the police, nor the Ring cameras affixed to the facades on several neighborhood homes, though at least the latter capture footage of kids bounding through their front doors, arms splayed like wings, into early morning’s opaque embrace.
—
Andy Crump, Time, 9 Aug. 2025
The viewer, like Malin Akerman’s Margo and Jaime Ray Newman’s Callie, see the result of whatever that exchange was, which was Starr’s bloody corpse splayed out on Jill’s pristine kitchen floor.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
The model in the chartreuse spinning there, right on the edge, arms splayed.
—Mona Awad, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
Because United, splayed and exposed under the Wembley arches, feel like a balloon floating too close to the ground, waiting to pop.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for splay
Andy Crump, Time, 9 Aug. 2025
The viewer, like Malin Akerman’s Margo and Jaime Ray Newman’s Callie, see the result of whatever that exchange was, which was Starr’s bloody corpse splayed out on Jill’s pristine kitchen floor.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
The model in the chartreuse spinning there, right on the edge, arms splayed.
—Mona Awad, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
Because United, splayed and exposed under the Wembley arches, feel like a balloon floating too close to the ground, waiting to pop.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for splay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splay
Verb
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More interestingly, the staff begins to spread its wings when granted opportunities to report.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Blending ancient Vedic verses and Indian classical traditions with vibrant instrumentation and choral arrangements, Soul Ecstasy is part of Tandon’s mission of spreading joy through both economic and emotional empowerment.—
Billboard Staff,
Billboard,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Others view it as a brazen attempt to split up Kansas City’s minority voters.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
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That resulted in a hung parliament split between the National Rally, the left-wing New Popular Front, and Macron’s Renaissance bloc.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Splay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splay. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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