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
-
It's got the largest Danish collection of living flora, including more than 13,000 plant species spread over ten hectares and housed in a complex of historic 19th-century greenhouses.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
The evacuated passengers will enter quarantine in Nebraska after returning to the states, HHS said on Sunday, May 10, where they will be evaluated for symptoms and their risk of spreading the virus.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
All those pieces of myself, scattered across a digital ocean, chewed up and spit out in less than 60 seconds.—
Erin Entrada Kelly,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
Mishra placed metallic embroidery in irregular vine-like sections down the skirt, heavier at the front panels and hem, with small crystal dots scattered through the tulle.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Critics have argued the skyway makes the challenge of filling empty storefronts doubly difficult, as second-floor retail effectively splits a dwindling customer and retail base between two levels.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
-
By Mark O’Connell The conservative media commentator split with the administration over the war in Iran.—
Susan Dominus Dina Litovsky Mark O’Connell Lulu Garcia-Navarro Amy X. Wang Nitsuh Abebe Linda Kinstler Lisa Sanders, M.D. Kwame Anthony Appiah John Hodgman,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splayed. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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