spatter

1 of 2

verb

spat·​ter ˈspa-tər 

spattered; spattering; spatters

intransitive verb

: to spurt forth in scattered drops

blood spattering everywhere

transitive verb

1

: to splash with or as if with a liquid

also : to soil in this way

his coat was spattered with mud

2

: to scatter by or as if by splashing

spatter water

3

: to cover with or as if with splashes or spots

4

: to cast aspersions on : defame

spattered my reputation

spatter

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the act or process of spattering : the state of being spattered

b

: the noise of spattering

2

a

: a drop or splash spattered on something or a spot or stain due to spattering

b

: a small amount or number : sprinkle

a spatter of applause

Synonyms

Verb

• dash
• slop
• slosh
• splash
• swash

Noun

• ace
• bit
• crumb
• dab
• dram
• driblet
• glimmer
• hint
• lick
• little
• mite
• nip
• ounce
• particle
• peanuts
• ray
• scintilla
• scruple
• shade
• shadow
• shred
• skosh
• smack
• smell
• smidgen
• smidgeon
• smidgin
• smidge
• snap
• soupçon
• spark
• speck
• splash
• spot
• sprinkling
• strain
• streak
• suspicion
• tad
• touch
• trace

Examples of spatter in a Sentence

Verb

The dog jumped in the pool and spattered us with water.

His clothes were spattered with paint.

When you cook bacon, the grease spatters everywhere.

He showed me how to use the paintbrush so the paint wouldn't spatter.

Noun

There were grease spatters all over the wall.

The floor was covered with spatters of paint.

There was a lot of paint spatter on the floor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

English was the common language, spattered with classical Latin. —Lorne Cook, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2024

Notebooks, clothes and tins of food lay scattered on the ground, spattered with what appeared to be blood. —Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2024

Noun

When a little salsa drips over the side after a pour or your bottle of ketchup ends up with a spatter, rinse them off immediately. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2024

Lots of options are less conspicuous than the one that involves a broken windshield speckled with blood spatter. —Brian Grubb, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

akin to Frisian spatterje to spatter, Middle Dutch bespatten to splash

First Known Use

Verb

1600, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

spatter

1 of 2 verb

spat·​ter ˈspat-ər 

1

: to splash with drops or small bits of something wet

spatter the paper with paint

2

: to scatter by splashing

spattered mud all over my coat

spatter

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act or sound of spattering

2

: a drop or splash spattered on something : a spot or stain due to spattering