splash
Americanverb (used with object)
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splashes,
present (3rd person singular)
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splashed,
past participle, past
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splashing
present participle
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to wet or soil by dashing masses or particles of water, mud, or the like; spatter.
Don't splash her dress!
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to fall upon (something) in scattered masses or particles, as a liquid does.
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to cause to appear spattered.
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to dash (water, mud, etc.) about in scattered masses or particles.
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to make (one's way) with splashing.
He splashed his way across the pool.
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Logging. to move (logs) by releasing a body of water from a splash dam.
verb (used without object)
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splashes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
splashed,
past participle, past
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splashing
present participle
-
to dash a liquid or semiliquid substance about.
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to fall, move, or strike with a splash or splashes.
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(of liquid) to dash with force in scattered masses or particles.
noun
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splashes
plural
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the act of splashing.
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the sound of splashing.
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a quantity of some liquid or semiliquid substance splashed upon or in a thing.
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a spot caused by something splashed.
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a patch, as of color or light.
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Logging.
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the act of splashing logs.
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water released, as from a splash dam for splashing logs.
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a striking show or impression.
- Synonyms:
- sensation, uproar, impression, ado
verb phrase
verb
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to scatter (liquid) about in blobs; spatter
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to descend or cause to descend upon in blobs
he splashed his jacket
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to make (one's way) by or as if by splashing
he splashed through the puddle
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(tr) to print (a story or photograph) prominently in a newspaper
noun
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an instance or sound of splashing
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an amount splashed
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a patch created by or as if by splashing
a splash of colour
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informal an extravagant display, usually for effect (esp in the phrase make a splash )
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a small amount of soda water, water, etc, added to an alcoholic drink
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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splashsimple
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splashessimple
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have splashedperfect
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has splashedperfect
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am splashingprogressive
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are splashingprogressive
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is splashingprogressive
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have been splashingperfect progressive
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has been splashingperfect progressive
Past
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splashedsimple
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had splashedperfect
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was splashingprogressive
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were splashingprogressive
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had been splashingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of splash
First recorded in 1705–15; perhaps alteration of plash 1
Explanation
A splash is a tiny amount of a liquid. You might, for example, prefer your coffee with just a splash of cream. A splash can be wet, like a splash of lemonade in your tea, or it can be bright, like a splash of yellow across the oil painting you're working on. You can also use splash as a verb, as when you splash your sunbathing brother with swimming pool water. Splash first appeared in the early 1800's as a variation on the word plash, which had the same meanings and is most likely imitative — in other words, it sounds like its meaning.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“That have complex flavor profiles, that are not just juice and a splash of soda or a lime or something.”
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
"There's a hosepipe ban and we are wasting water and it's causing a huge puddle in the street that cars splash through," she added.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
It was clear all along, however, that Skubal was going to be the biggest splash of the deadline — for any team, really.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
A more recent splash by Moonshot AI’s Kimi carries a different emphasis: not just that China can compete, but that its cheap, open-source models might win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Scruffy tumbled out of the window and landed in the toilet bowl with a splash.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
And finally, the Sun splashes the divorce of Eastenders star Shane Richie from his wife Christie.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The Sun splashes on a striking image of a partial eclipse leaving a crescent sliver peeking out with the playful headline: "The Sun, the Moon."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The wheelie-dealies allow drivers to navigate the R2’s devilishly smart, wickedly fast UX, which splashes its crisp, legible graphics and impish animation across both the binnacle display and the one in the center dash.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
Those white splashes on the sidewalk aren’t fresh paint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
People shrieked as splashes of the Swelling Solution hit them.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
The movie ends with Ricky Bobby speeding in a car without sponsors, a massive “ME” splashed on the hood.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The 48-year-old president drew criticism after Paris Match magazine splashed a photo of Macron speeding across the Riviera on a jet ski across its cover.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Only three promoted clubs have splashed out more in a summer window – Sunderland in 2025, Nottingham Forest in 2022 and Aston Villa in 2019 – and all survived.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
After a particularly long, road rage-y drive, I splashed my face with ice water, a tip I learned on TikTok, to see if it might take the edge off my vibrating tension.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Mama stood with her hand on the faucet, staring strangely at me while the water splashed from the sink over her feet.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Water was splashing against the windows, said co-owner Shea Roggio, and his electricity shut down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The vehicle completed the test by splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
She says she felt "ashamed" by the amount of money she was splashing out - but was hooked on the dopamine hit.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
German media have broadcast the hapless creature lying motionless in shallow water for hours on end, with men in diving suits splashing water on it using kayak paddles.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
He was splashing his short arms and furry legs.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
