sprin·kle
ˈspriŋ-kəl 
sprinkled; sprinkling
ˈspriŋ-k(ə-)liŋ
1
: to scatter in drops or particles
2
a
: to scatter over
b
: to scatter at intervals in or among : dot
sprinkled the speech with quips
c
: to wet lightly
Synonyms
Examples of sprinkle in a Sentence
Verb
He sprinkled water on the plants.
I sprinkled grass seed over the soil.
She sprinkled the clothes before ironing them.
“Is it raining?” “It's just sprinkling a little.”
Noun
It rained last night, but it was just a sprinkle.
She topped the pasta with a sprinkle of parsley.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lilian Gonzalez, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
To serve, drizzle shrimp with olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and more dill.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Serve eggplant on red quinoa, sprinkled with green onions and cilantro.
—Yakir Levy, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, pops of yellow and purple sprinkled throughout adds some personality to these dreamy digs.
—Kelsey Mulvey, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Once the dough is made, it's rolled out, slathered with butter, and sprinkled with a spice blend.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2024
For Callahan, who sprinkles the book with flashbacks from before Eliza’s diagnosis, deafness is both a medical condition and a metaphor for the incompleteness of our knowledge of the world.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
The remaining potato mixture is smoothed on top of that, and then sprinkled with either matzoh meal (for Passover) or breadcrumbs (for any other occasion), which have been tossed with a bit of oil.
—Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Immediately sprinkle half of the salt, pepper and smoked paprika on eggs.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2024
The flowers have filled a place best known for its shades of browns and grays with brilliant blasts of yellow and purple and sprinkles of pink and cream.
—Alice Li, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Cut a single white marshmallow diagonally and dip it into pink sprinkles.
—Jillian Dara, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
As drier air moves into the area, precipitation will change to sprinkles through daybreak.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 29 Mar. 2024
No stranger to the nuclear properties of modern media herself, Piper’s casting in a world of hot-button news comes with its own sprinkle of meta.
—Giles Hattersley, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
The glazed doughnut comes dipped in black chocolate icing and is topped with silver sprinkles, buttercream made with Oreos, and an Oreo cookie.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 5 Apr. 2024
Just before serving, top each with a sprinkle of edible flowers.
14 of 18
Tea Party Dessert: Lavender-Honey Lemon Tart
View Recipe
Serve up a showstopping dessert for your Mother's Day tea.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2024
The eclipse special consists of an original glazed doughnut dipped in black chocolate icing and topped with silver sprinkles, buttercream frosting, Oreo pieces and a whole Oreo cookie on top.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
Verb
This book is primarily intended for children, but Morris notes that adults can find enjoyment in all the bug puns and pop culture references sprinkled throughout.
—Lilian Gonzalez, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
To serve, drizzle shrimp with olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and more dill.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Serve eggplant on red quinoa, sprinkled with green onions and cilantro.
—Yakir Levy, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, pops of yellow and purple sprinkled throughout adds some personality to these dreamy digs.
—Kelsey Mulvey, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Once the dough is made, it's rolled out, slathered with butter, and sprinkled with a spice blend.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2024
For Callahan, who sprinkles the book with flashbacks from before Eliza’s diagnosis, deafness is both a medical condition and a metaphor for the incompleteness of our knowledge of the world.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
The remaining potato mixture is smoothed on top of that, and then sprinkled with either matzoh meal (for Passover) or breadcrumbs (for any other occasion), which have been tossed with a bit of oil.
—Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Immediately sprinkle half of the salt, pepper and smoked paprika on eggs.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Noun
Has Taylor ever heard Gia’s song? Where does Taylor stand on sprinkle cookies?
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2024
The flowers have filled a place best known for its shades of browns and grays with brilliant blasts of yellow and purple and sprinkles of pink and cream.
—Alice Li, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
Cut a single white marshmallow diagonally and dip it into pink sprinkles.
—Jillian Dara, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
As drier air moves into the area, precipitation will change to sprinkles through daybreak.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 29 Mar. 2024
No stranger to the nuclear properties of modern media herself, Piper’s casting in a world of hot-button news comes with its own sprinkle of meta.
—Giles Hattersley, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
The glazed doughnut comes dipped in black chocolate icing and is topped with silver sprinkles, buttercream made with Oreos, and an Oreo cookie.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 5 Apr. 2024
Just before serving, top each with a sprinkle of edible flowers.
14 of 18
Tea Party Dessert: Lavender-Honey Lemon Tart
View Recipe
Serve up a showstopping dessert for your Mother's Day tea.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2024
The eclipse special consists of an original glazed doughnut dipped in black chocolate icing and topped with silver sprinkles, buttercream frosting, Oreo pieces and a whole Oreo cookie on top.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sprinkle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sprinkle
Cite this Entry
“Sprinkle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sprinkle. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sprinkle
1 of 2 verb
sprin·kle
ˈspriŋ-kəl
sprinkled; sprinkling
-k(ə-)liŋ
1
: to scatter in drops or particles
sprinkle water
sprinkle grass seed over the soil
2
a
: to scatter over or in or among
sprinkle the spaghetti with grated cheese
b
: to wet lightly
sprinkle clothes before ironing
3
: to rain lightly in scattered drops
sprinkle
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or an instance of sprinkling
especially
: a light rain
2
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