as in sprinkling
to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on
sprayed the lawn with pesticides
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of spraying
Dislodge aphids by spraying foliage with a heavy stream of water.
—
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
Eason recommends spraying water mixed with essential oils to repel bed bugs.
—Emily Benda Gaylord, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
Security camera footage showing a man allegedly spraying his roommate's food with a substance that left them feeling sick.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
As spraying increased, weeds resistant to glyphosate emerged.
—Michal Ruprecht, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
Don’t soak it; over spraying only contributes to streaks.
—Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Images and videos flooded social media of immigration law enforcement’s violent encounters with protesters, including shooting rubber bullets, spraying chemical agents at close range and smashing car windows.
—Daniella Silva, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
The scale of the war effort had necessitated the creation of a health infrastructure on American soil—spraying for mosquitoes near the front lines in the Pacific wouldn’t mean anything if soldiers caught malaria at home before deployment.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Written and directed by Swift, the clip sees the singer fall in love with a fellow loner (Domhnall Gleeson) after spraying herself with a love potion fittingly called Opalite.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
Eason recommends spraying water mixed with essential oils to repel bed bugs.
—Emily Benda Gaylord, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
Security camera footage showing a man allegedly spraying his roommate's food with a substance that left them feeling sick.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
As spraying increased, weeds resistant to glyphosate emerged.
—Michal Ruprecht, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
Don’t soak it; over spraying only contributes to streaks.
—Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Images and videos flooded social media of immigration law enforcement’s violent encounters with protesters, including shooting rubber bullets, spraying chemical agents at close range and smashing car windows.
—Daniella Silva, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
The scale of the war effort had necessitated the creation of a health infrastructure on American soil—spraying for mosquitoes near the front lines in the Pacific wouldn’t mean anything if soldiers caught malaria at home before deployment.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Written and directed by Swift, the clip sees the singer fall in love with a fellow loner (Domhnall Gleeson) after spraying herself with a love potion fittingly called Opalite.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spraying
Verb
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For this method, Sokolowski suggests sprinkling baking soda on a damp microfiber cloth, then scrubbing the curtain and rinsing with warm water before hanging to dry.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
27 Feb. 2026
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This means there's lots of ways to add them to your diet, including blending ground flaxseed into smoothies or sprinkling whole flaxseeds on top of oatmeal.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bright hot-air balloons dotting the pale sky over a striated desert.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
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Also like many others, the surgery Nyong’o had to remove the roughly 30 fibroids dotting her uterus at the time proved only a temporary fix, with upward of 50 redeveloping in the 12 years since.—
Beth Krietsch,
SELF,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Rams controlled the pace for the majority of the first period, peppering Hawks goaltender Connor Kotwicki with several strong shots.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
2 Mar. 2026
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The Portland Timbers came calling in January, and kept peppering Colorado’s front office with offers, according to Bassett.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spraying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spraying. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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