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
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
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
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splaying
Verb
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While firefighters prevented the flames from spreading to livestock pens and other buildings on the property, everything Nieto owned was incinerated, according to the outlet.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
11 Dec. 2025
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The child began to show symptoms several days later, including a runny nose, cough, congestion, fever and a rash starting at the head and spreading to the rest of the body.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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After Senegal turned the ball over, Michael Olise made the perfect pass, splitting two defenders, as Mbappé made a move upfield into the box.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
17 June 2026
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And Whitehall, who began the day in a Tom Ford suit, had to change into a backup suit by Dunhill after splitting his pants.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Verb
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In one engraving from van Deventer’s manual, his arm is shown inserted into an empty uterus almost up to the elbow, the engraver’s close, texturing lines transforming his hand into a radiating light within a cavernous female darkness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
Argus consists of 20 modular telescoping legs radiating from a central body.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splaying. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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