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.
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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
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On Saturday, March 7, demonstrations will be held in cities nationwide, pushing for people of all walks of life to stand together in protecting and spreading awareness for victims of human trafficking.—
Elaine Rojas-Castillo,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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The arrangement did not prevent rumors from spreading, however, and becoming a major distraction for the department.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Take the time, then, to consider your account options with care and evaluate the interest-earning potential of splitting your money among a series of accounts.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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Headaches grow for California’s Democratic Party chair as another poll shows eight Democratic candidates for governor are splitting the vote so many ways that Republicans could win the top 2 primary spots.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The team believes that this could mean coronae arise in abundance, radiating from tens to hundreds of leaves on every treetop during a single thunderstorm.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
25 Feb. 2026
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Our movie tastes are determined by some indefinable electrical current of enthusiasm or joy or deep, radiating sadness, or some combination of the three.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splaying. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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