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 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
Also, there are no people and everything is compressed, as if a giant hand had come down from the sky and harmlessly splayed the three-dimensional world out into two, for easier viewing.
—Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
During this particularly artsy weekend, more than 600 artists turn the streets of downtown Lake Worth Beach into a temporary open-air museum with larger-than-life chalk murals splayed across Lake and Lucerne Avenues.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2025
Compacted into 137 bundles, that steel had to be meticulously splayed out in order to successfully loop around the roadbed, just before the Yerba Buena Tunnel.
—Katie Lauer, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
The clip accompanying the Facebook post starts with the 600-pound gator splayed out on a Florida road as several uniformed people approach it.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
With his eyes rolled back in his head and his hand splayed in front of him, Will stops them each mid-air and kills them instantly.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
On the album cover, she’s splayed across a blue-gray carpet in a brown sweater and sheer tights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025
Another video shared the same day showed multiple men in tactical vests loading into a vehicle with a similar Mexican flag splayed across the hood.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Jan. 2026
Also, there are no people and everything is compressed, as if a giant hand had come down from the sky and harmlessly splayed the three-dimensional world out into two, for easier viewing.
—Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
During this particularly artsy weekend, more than 600 artists turn the streets of downtown Lake Worth Beach into a temporary open-air museum with larger-than-life chalk murals splayed across Lake and Lucerne Avenues.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2025
Compacted into 137 bundles, that steel had to be meticulously splayed out in order to successfully loop around the roadbed, just before the Yerba Buena Tunnel.
—Katie Lauer, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
The clip accompanying the Facebook post starts with the 600-pound gator splayed out on a Florida road as several uniformed people approach it.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
With his eyes rolled back in his head and his hand splayed in front of him, Will stops them each mid-air and kills them instantly.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025
On the album cover, she’s splayed across a blue-gray carpet in a brown sweater and sheer tights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025
Another video shared the same day showed multiple men in tactical vests loading into a vehicle with a similar Mexican flag splayed across the hood.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splayed
Verb
-
Measles is highly contagious and can spread through the air when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Misinformation and conspiracy theories about the public health system also spread during the pandemic, and longtime anti-vaccine activist groups saw a swell in interest from the wider public.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Harper and Yasmin, who’s emerged as the series’ co-lead, started out among Pierpoint’s newest hires; by the end of Season 3, the firm had been effectively dissolved, its novice traders scattered to the winds.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
There are just 59 rooms scattered among 150 acres, several pools, and a sprawling terrace restaurant; the property never feels overrun.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of one big weekly grocery trip, shoppers are splitting their carts between a warehouse club and a traditional supermarket.—
Alexandria Mansfield,
Florida Times-Union,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Michigan State starting on Valentine’s Day, the Bruins wrapped up their three-game homestand on a positive note after splitting the first two, a one-point, double-overtime loss to Indiana followed by a 22-point blowout of Rutgers in which five players scored in double digits.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splayed. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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