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
When an ice storm is in the forecast, support plants with weak branches that are susceptible to splaying or breaking, like arborvitae and 'Sky Pencil' holly.
—
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Tendrils hang loosely in the front, it's pulled to different levels of tautness around her head, and the ends splay out, creating a too-cool-to-care look.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 20 Jan. 2026
The entire western-facing wall of the house is glass—the valley and forest splayed out before us, in every shade of green imaginable.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Jan. 2026
Across the boat, a young guy with thin lips and a sweater tied around his shoulders leans back and splays his legs.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splay
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Tendrils hang loosely in the front, it's pulled to different levels of tautness around her head, and the ends splay out, creating a too-cool-to-care look.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 20 Jan. 2026
The entire western-facing wall of the house is glass—the valley and forest splayed out before us, in every shade of green imaginable.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Jan. 2026
Across the boat, a young guy with thin lips and a sweater tied around his shoulders leans back and splays his legs.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splay
Verb
-
The attack spread fear and alarm through Britain's Jewish community.—
KRUTIKA PATHI,
Arkansas Online,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The other villagers — mostly women and children — sit just beyond the sandbag perimeter, under the shade of some trees, spreading more cassava on bamboo trays in preparation for drying.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Other changes, such as splitting the MMR vaccine, remain in place.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
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Iowa State and Virginia have split four previous meetings, though the Cavaliers won the most recent matchup and the only one in the NCAA Tournament.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splay. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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