as in 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 splayed
The suspect was heavyset and walked with a unique gait, feet splayed apart, as seen in the surveillance video.
—
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2026
One moment, she’s splayed across the marquetry top of the dining table.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 15 Apr. 2026
His fingers splayed and writhed like a terrible mandible.
—Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
As the footage continues, the pair falls out of sight behind the white sedan for about a minute before the sedan suddenly speeds away, revealing one man splayed across the ground as the gunman appears to straddle him.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
Isabelle hops, arms splayed upward, hits the water, and swims to Mom.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Jurors saw a photo of Saxon’s small mattress splayed on a bare concrete floor beside a case of bottled water and some Ensure protein drinks.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2026
Judges score the flips and spins, including pretzel-like shapes with skis splayed or crossed, before the skiers pull up at the last split second and slam skis-first into the landing area, kicking up a spray of snow.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 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
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2026
One moment, she’s splayed across the marquetry top of the dining table.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 15 Apr. 2026
His fingers splayed and writhed like a terrible mandible.
—Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
As the footage continues, the pair falls out of sight behind the white sedan for about a minute before the sedan suddenly speeds away, revealing one man splayed across the ground as the gunman appears to straddle him.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026
Isabelle hops, arms splayed upward, hits the water, and swims to Mom.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Jurors saw a photo of Saxon’s small mattress splayed on a bare concrete floor beside a case of bottled water and some Ensure protein drinks.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2026
Judges score the flips and spins, including pretzel-like shapes with skis splayed or crossed, before the skiers pull up at the last split second and slam skis-first into the landing area, kicking up a spray of snow.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splayed
Verb
-
The rest of the property radiates outwards from here, incorporating four restaurants, rooms and suites spread across a number of individual low-rise blocks, the Conrad Spa, and meeting and events space.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Severe weather continues into Monday On Monday, the severe weather threat spreads northeast and stretches from the lower Mississippi River Valley up to the Midwest.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Keep your pace simple and intentional so nothing gets scattered.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In practice, it is scattered, inconsistently formatted, and largely inaccessible.—
Jessica Binns,
Vogue,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Downriver from the Shoshone Falls are the Pillar Falls, a low waterfall split by rock pillars.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Wood’s colleague and head winemaker Kurtis Ogasawara tells Robb Report this wine requires a couple of tweaks in the vineyard and winery that begin with walking the block prior to harvest and splitting it up into smaller sections based on flavor development.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splayed. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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