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
Beyond the gleaming front door lies a double-height entry foyer adorned with translucent glass floor panels splayed out around the showpiece staircase hewn from marine-grade stainless steel and walnut.
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Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2024
On the cool concrete floor of the garage, Austin is splayed out on his back pressing the rewind button on that night 27 years ago when Owen Hart sent the top of his head to the mat with a piledriver.
—Christopher Kamrani, The Athletic, 31 July 2024
And Mullin’s case involved mailers that went directly to his Assembly constituents, not television ads splayed across the entire Bay Area.
—Mercury News Editorial, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024
Floating Points: Cascade [Ninja Tune] Sam Shepherd’s first solo Floating Points album since 2019 reasserts the British producer and jazz composer at the helm of the dancefloor, splaying ornate melodies over twitchy rhythms as likely to induce stupefied wonder as full-body spasms.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for splay 
Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2024
On the cool concrete floor of the garage, Austin is splayed out on his back pressing the rewind button on that night 27 years ago when Owen Hart sent the top of his head to the mat with a piledriver.
—Christopher Kamrani, The Athletic, 31 July 2024
And Mullin’s case involved mailers that went directly to his Assembly constituents, not television ads splayed across the entire Bay Area.
—Mercury News Editorial, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024
Floating Points: Cascade [Ninja Tune] Sam Shepherd’s first solo Floating Points album since 2019 reasserts the British producer and jazz composer at the helm of the dancefloor, splaying ornate melodies over twitchy rhythms as likely to induce stupefied wonder as full-body spasms.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for splay
Thesaurus Entries Near splay
Cite this Entry
“Splay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splay. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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