as in to spread
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 splay
In one TikTok video, the pooch is splayed out on her back getting a belly rub, living her best life on Earle’s plush bed.
—
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2025
Lamar walked through them, splitting the flag, and the people, who were now Black bodies, splayed on the ground like chalk outlines.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
In the back storeroom of the Olivera Egg Ranch in San Jose, Ed Olivera Jr., 76, gazed at miniature sepia and grey-tone photographs in an album splayed open on a long steel table.
—Jia H. Jung, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
The clip starts with Perfume Genius’ Mike Hadreas splayed out on an ice rink as several onlookers check on him.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for splay
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2025
Lamar walked through them, splitting the flag, and the people, who were now Black bodies, splayed on the ground like chalk outlines.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
In the back storeroom of the Olivera Egg Ranch in San Jose, Ed Olivera Jr., 76, gazed at miniature sepia and grey-tone photographs in an album splayed open on a long steel table.
—Jia H. Jung, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
The clip starts with Perfume Genius’ Mike Hadreas splayed out on an ice rink as several onlookers check on him.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for splay
Cite this Entry
“Splay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splay. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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