spray
1 Americannoun
-
water or other liquid broken up into minute droplets and blown, ejected into, or falling through the air.
-
a jet of fine particles of liquid, as medicine, insecticide, paint, perfume, etc., discharged from an atomizer or other device for direct application to a surface.
-
a liquid to be discharged or applied in such a jet.
-
an apparatus or device for discharging such a liquid.
-
a quantity of small objects, flying or discharged through the air.
a spray of shattered glass.
verb (used with object)
-
sprays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sprayed,
past participle, past
-
spraying
present participle
-
to scatter in the form of fine particles.
-
to apply as a spray.
to spray an insecticide on plants.
-
to sprinkle or treat with a spray.
to spray plants with insecticide.
-
to direct a spray of particles, missiles, etc., upon.
to spray the mob with tear gas.
verb (used without object)
-
sprays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sprayed,
past participle, past
-
spraying
present participle
-
to scatter spray; discharge a spray.
The hose sprayed over the flowers.
-
to issue as spray.
The water sprayed from the hose.
noun
-
a single, slender shoot, twig, or branch with its leaves, flowers, or berries.
-
a group or bunch of cut flowers, leafy twigs, etc., arranged decoratively and for display, as in a vase.
-
an ornament having a similar form.
noun
-
fine particles of a liquid
-
-
a liquid, such as perfume, paint, etc, designed to be discharged from an aerosol or atomizer
hair spray
-
the aerosol or atomizer itself
-
-
a quantity of small objects flying through the air
a spray of bullets
verb
-
to scatter (liquid) in the form of fine particles
-
to discharge (a liquid) from an aerosol or atomizer
-
(tr) to treat or bombard with a spray
to spray the lawn
noun
-
a single slender shoot, twig, or branch that bears buds, leaves, flowers, or berries, either growing on or detached from a plant
-
a small decorative bouquet or corsage of flowers and foliage
-
a piece of jewellery designed to resemble a spray of flowers, leaves, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
sprayabilitynoun
-
sprayernoun
-
sprayableadjective
-
spraylessadjective
-
spraylikeadjective
-
unsprayableadjective
-
unsprayedadjective
-
well-sprayedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
spraysimple
-
sprayssimple
-
have sprayedperfect
-
has sprayedperfect
-
am sprayingprogressive
-
are sprayingprogressive
-
is sprayingprogressive
-
have been sprayingperfect progressive
-
has been sprayingperfect progressive
Past
-
sprayedsimple
-
had sprayedperfect
-
was sprayingprogressive
-
were sprayingprogressive
-
had been sprayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spray1
First recorded in 1520–30; from earlier Dutch spraeyen; cognate with Middle High German spræjen
Origin of spray2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sprai(e); of uncertain origin; perhaps akin to sprag 1 or sprig ( def. )
Explanation
A spray is a jet of small drops of water or liquid vapor. It describes the medicine you use to make your nose less dry or the air freshener you use to make your bathroom less smelly. Though spray has had several incarnations, it is helpful to remember the German root sprühen — “to sparkle” or “to drizzle.” Spray has more than one sense, and can be a verb or a noun: If a whale were to spray you with water, you would be covered in spray. The word can also describe a group of small objects or pieces sent in the air, as in the spray of broken glass caused by your foul ball hitting a window.
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:
“The guy with the dog, I guess he moved the pepper spray out of the way, and then the other ICE agent ran over,” Butler said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Several then entered, one spray painting an anarchist "A" symbol on an inside wall, before police intervened to disperse them.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
It has an anchor locker, for heaven’s sake, a wash-down spray hose and a nightclub-caliber sound system that I doubt is Audubon-approved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
He said it was a therapist who suggested he spray her perfume to "unlock everything", adding that this allowed him to discover that "she just wanted me to be happy".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
I bought a new shotgun, which I always kept at hand, and the Walmart in Wasilla started carrying an anti-bear spray that was very effective, which I carried in a holster on my belt.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
Bedbugs have become resistant to modern insecticide sprays, which makes them very difficult to kill and having an infestation can have long-lasting effects, according to Naylor.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
At least nine companies sell pricey pesticide treatments or natural oil sprays for the backyard that are supposed to repel deer, or ticks, sparking an angry debate over whether they also endanger pets and pollinators.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Those halos can indicate sprays of regolith thrown outward by a fresh impact.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
The keening chorus is anchored by Roger Troutman, who enjoyed a series of 1980s hits with sprays of talk-box-warped vocals, while the blasting beat was produced by Dr. Dre, the chief architect of G-funk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Thick-skinned banana clumps, pungent sprays of jasmine, black-seeded papayas, and delicate pods of vanilla all astonished her.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Scented cleaners release terpenes when fragrance compounds evaporate from sprayed droplets or cleaned surfaces.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
A woman sprayed each of us with rose essential oil to help with grounding.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
In Devon and Cornwall officers have also sprayed illegal riders and their bikes with SmartWater - a forensic marking product that contains a unique chemical code which becomes visible using ultraviolet light.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Images shared on social media showed massive flames rising above the building in the darkness, while a fire truck sprayed water to tackle the flames.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
The king roared his roar and the others bellowed; the splashing sprayed higher and the boat rocked wildly, and was slowly, ferociously, pushed out to sea.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
A third firefighter was injured by what he said felt like an electric shock while he was on an aerial ladder spraying water onto the building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Routine tasks such as mopping floors, spraying countertops, and wiping surfaces with scented products generate billions or trillions of particles, with the total depending on the product.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
In Barcelona—which last year received nine times as many tourists as it has residents—protesters took to spraying water on tourists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Photos posted to Telegram by the state emergency service showed firefighters spraying water into what appeared to be a residential building.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
His hand came down on the edge of a plate, which sailed into the air, spraying gravy across the room.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
