Synonyms of splay

splay

verb

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.

Related Words

• spread
• split
• scatter
• radiate
• branch
• ray
• diffuse
• stem
• part
• fan (out)
• fork
• dissipate
• dispel
• disperse
• divide
• diverge
• ramify
• separate
• unlink
• uncouple
• unyoke

Dissimilar Words

• join
• connect
• couple
• link
• unite

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of splay

While the actress’ shoes have a rounded front, this pair has a square toe that helps your feet splay naturally and doesn’t pinch your toes. — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026

What looks like a bird's tail is a stream of ice flowing northeast all the way out to the ocean, and what appear to be feathers splaying outward from the mountaintop are actually crevasses down the mountain. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 23 July 2026

The limbs in question were vast, inflatable, and splayed, maybe fifteen feet high, and bent at the knee, as if a giant were lying on its back. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

The moped passenger, who police said was struck by the truck’s rear wheel, can be seen on the video splayed out unconscious on the street. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026