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
Folks splayed out on blankets across the grassy lawns, fanned themselves and cooled off with cold beers.
—
Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Sep. 2025
To keep making the most of your grill, try Nosrat’s Joojeh Kebab, where chicken thighs are marinated in yogurt, saffron, and a hit of citrus before being splayed on the barbecue.
—Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025
The same branding is splayed across Goodison’s Bullens Road stand and various upper tiers, as well as in the players’ tunnel.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Due to the blunt force of this reentry, the engines in the outer ring of the rocket wanted to get splayed out, the company's chief of propulsion at the time, Tom Mueller, told me for the book Reentry.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
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
Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Sep. 2025
To keep making the most of your grill, try Nosrat’s Joojeh Kebab, where chicken thighs are marinated in yogurt, saffron, and a hit of citrus before being splayed on the barbecue.
—Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025
The same branding is splayed across Goodison’s Bullens Road stand and various upper tiers, as well as in the players’ tunnel.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Due to the blunt force of this reentry, the engines in the outer ring of the rocket wanted to get splayed out, the company's chief of propulsion at the time, Tom Mueller, told me for the book Reentry.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splayed
Verb
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Twenty years later, Iraq War veteran Aaron Hughes continues spreading his realization that soldiers can better champion American ideals by following their conscience over orders.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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About 25% of female breast cancer cases were found at the regional stage, meaning the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes, tissues, or organs, and 6% were found at a distant stage, meaning the cancer had spread to distant parts of the body, CDC data shows.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Dust Regularly Dust furniture one or two times a week with a damp microfiber cloth that traps dust and prevents it from being scattered in the air.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
8 Oct. 2025
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The rest of his family is scattered all over.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The 18 qualified teams were split into pots of three, according to their UEFA coefficient, and were drawn against two teams from each pot, with three matches away and three at home.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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So, all those nine teams splitting the first two on the road won the series … right?—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Splayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splayed. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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