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
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
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
-
South Florida doctors are seeing more people with cough, fever and other flu-like symptoms as a rapidly spreading influenza strain circulates across the country this winter.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Rob became an executive producer of Lyrics From Lockdown and the show traveled across the country, spreading awareness of Williams’ story.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Experts are especially alarmed that the CDC is investigating splitting up the MMR vaccine, which protects kids against measles, mumps and rubella in one shot.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The singer went on to date actor Chase Stokes for three years before splitting this past September.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Some designs add a pattern of reflective material to the outer shell to keep heat from radiating out into the cold air.—
Longji Cui,
The Conversation,
26 Dec. 2025
-
Doherty is radiating positive energy.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Splaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splaying. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share