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
On stage, with her back turned, stands Helen Shivers in her full beauty queen attire, staring down at Danica's fiancé's dead body splayed on ice.
—
Yolanda MacHado, EW.com, 18 July 2025
With strong enough turning inputs, the rear wheels took turns splaying out on the Y axis, lined up more in succession with the front wheel than triangulated with it.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Behind them were strobe lights and a striking LED screen backdrop splayed with lyrics and images of animated alligators shooting lasers from their snouts.
—Sacbee.com, 12 July 2025
Such shoes for flat feet give them enough room to splay out in the shoes, without causing painful rubbing on your toes and the sides of your feet.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for splay
Yolanda MacHado, EW.com, 18 July 2025
With strong enough turning inputs, the rear wheels took turns splaying out on the Y axis, lined up more in succession with the front wheel than triangulated with it.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Behind them were strobe lights and a striking LED screen backdrop splayed with lyrics and images of animated alligators shooting lasers from their snouts.
—Sacbee.com, 12 July 2025
Such shoes for flat feet give them enough room to splay out in the shoes, without causing painful rubbing on your toes and the sides of your feet.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for splay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splay
Verb
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Firefighters from Evergreen, Smith Valley and Whitefish assisted Kalispell crews in dousing flames that spread to adjacent grass.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
12 Aug. 2025
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On social media, rumors of Immigration Customs Enforcement operations spread quickly.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Hudson was split between two buildings this year to accommodate quick enrollment growth, with sixth grade students attending class in one location, while seventh and eighth grade students attend another.—
Krista Johnson,
The Courier-Journal,
7 Aug. 2025
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There are no plans to split off linear television since CBS is doing well and Par’s cable assets are a smaller percentage of its overall business now than at Comcast or WBD.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Splay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splay. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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