Synonyms of splaying

splaying

verb

present participle of splay

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

• spreading
• splitting
• radiating
• scattering
• branching
• parting
• diffusing
• dispersing
• fanning (out)
• dissipating
• stemming
• raying
• dispelling
• dividing
• forking
• ramifying
• diverging
• separating
• uncoupling
• unlinking
• unyoking

Dissimilar Words

• connecting
• joining
• linking
• coupling
• uniting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of splaying

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

Little happens other than chain-smoking, costume changes and interminable shots of color-shifting strobe lighting splaying across the cast’s cheekbones. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 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

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