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
Bob came out, blinking his eyes hard and closing his big fists tight, splaying his fingers back out in a pink baby starfish.
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Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splaying
Verb
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The bristles are neither too floppy nor too stiff, neither too long nor too short, and are cut to the perfect rounded shape that’s just right for swirling pigment over the apples or spreading it along your cheekbones—without having to work too hard for a completely natural finish.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Still, Jones ran it to near perfection, spreading the ball around to Bourne, Jauan Jennings, Christian McCaffrey and Jake Tonges before hitting McCaffrey on a 7-yard score in the right side of the end zone.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Part of what made that deal possible was Chelsea’s owners splitting their women’s team from their men’s and selling a minority stake.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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In her later years, Keating was a snowbird, splitting her time between Massachusetts and Palm Springs, California.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lights appeared up ahead, radiating energy like celestial bodies.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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Instead of sound radiating out at all angles, the sound is redirected by solid glass upwards to initially dissipate vertically instead of horizontally.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Splaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splaying. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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