splays

verb

present tense third-person singular of splay
as in spreads
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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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 splays Rogen splays himself, theatrically broken, on the floor. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 26 June 2026 Across the boat, a young guy with thin lips and a sweater tied around his shoulders leans back and splays his legs. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026 The Riverwalk in Fort Lauderdale splays out in full shade from the condo buildings and strips of golden sun. — Eric Barton, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026 The sneakers feature Altra’s signature FootShape design, which splays at the front to give your toes ample space for natural movement. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splays
  1. spreads
  2. splits
Verb
  • Any lingering rain chances will diminish as the front moves south and drier air spreads across the region.
    — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • There is still a much larger question about what happens if driverless freight eventually spreads across the country.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of spreads
Verb
  • The design physically splits the site into two distinct zones.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • After a competition win, Fujino remarks that her dream was to see her manga animated, a comment that temporarily splits the two central characters.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of splits

Browse Nearby Words

splaying
splays
spleen
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Cite this Entry

“Splays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splays. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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