as in spreading
to cause to move outward and apart
He sat with his legs splayed apart. She splayed her fingers to show off her manicure.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of splaying
When an ice storm is in the forecast, support plants with weak branches that are susceptible to splaying or breaking, like arborvitae and 'Sky Pencil' holly.
—
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Weah often stayed high, with Miles Robinson splaying out to the right touchline in a traditional right fullback position.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Bob came out, blinking his eyes hard and closing his big fists tight, splaying his fingers back out in a pink baby starfish.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Weah often stayed high, with Miles Robinson splaying out to the right touchline in a traditional right fullback position.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Bob came out, blinking his eyes hard and closing his big fists tight, splaying his fingers back out in a pink baby starfish.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splaying
Verb
-
That agreement, a 10-day pause between Israel and Lebanon, is part of a broader attempt to stop the conflict from spreading further.—
Sohel Uddin,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Violence remains unpredictable and is increasingly spreading beyond the capital.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cities were ranked by the relative different of the cost of renting a one-pedroom apartment and splitting rental costs for a two-bedroom unit equally with a roommate.—
Julia Hawkins,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Families like the ones served by Knightsbridge may be operating at a different scale, but the underlying pattern—uprooting a household, splitting a family across time zones, reorganizing daily life around one child’s athletic trajectory—is hardly confined to the ultra-wealthy.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For patrician statesmen, grandeur is usually understated, radiating restraint rather than gawk-inspiring shows of brazen wealth.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
-
On the water, the 55-year-old mother seems to come alive, her adventurous spirit radiating outward, lighting her from the inside out.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splaying. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
