SPLAYS Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

splays

verb

present tense third-person singular of splay

as in spreads

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 are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of splays Rogen splays himself, theatrically broken, on the floor. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 26 June 2026 Across the boat, a young guy with thin lips and a sweater tied around his shoulders leans back and splays his legs. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026 The Riverwalk in Fort Lauderdale splays out in full shade from the condo buildings and strips of golden sun. — Eric Barton, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026 The sneakers feature Altra’s signature FootShape design, which splays at the front to give your toes ample space for natural movement. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 13 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for splays

Verb

Sharma recently created a new arm within Xbox meant to centralize and double down on commercial opportunities for top franchises such as Minecraft, similar to how Disney spreads its Marvel brand into movies, shows, theme park attractions, and more.

— Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
The 24-piece box comes with miniature jars of jams and spreads like fig and cardamom, caramel and dark chocolate, rhubarb and strawberry, apricot and honey, and more.

— Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of spreads

Verb

The interface splits each 2-core fiber into two single-core fibers inside the repeater for efficient amplification, then merges them back into 2-core fibers.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Mana splits his time between New York and South Florida, with places in Miami and Boca Raton.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of splits

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splaying

splays

spleen

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“Splays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splays. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of splays

verb

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