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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Examples of splay in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
The 5-year-old canine, Piper, stood awkwardly atop Bourgeois' bed with her legs stiffly splayed out beneath her.
—
Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024
Scores of sunbathers splayed on towels or under beach tents.
—Rick Jervis, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
The handprint splayed across his mouth is a symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2024
The demon howls, but Father Ignatius can’t see or hear anything other than Sister Andrea, splayed out on the floor.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for splay 
Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024
Scores of sunbathers splayed on towels or under beach tents.
—Rick Jervis, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024
The handprint splayed across his mouth is a symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2024
The demon howls, but Father Ignatius can’t see or hear anything other than Sister Andrea, splayed out on the floor.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 15 Aug. 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 5 Nov. 2024.
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