sprinkle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
sprinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sprinkled,
past participle, past
-
sprinkling
present participle
-
to scatter (a liquid, powder, etc.) in drops or particles.
She sprinkled sugar on the cake.
- Synonyms:
- rain, scatter, distribute
-
to disperse or distribute here and there.
-
to overspread with drops or particles of water, powder, or the like.
to sprinkle a lawn.
-
to diversify or intersperse with objects scattered here and there.
verb (used without object)
-
sprinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sprinkled,
past participle, past
-
sprinkling
present participle
-
to scatter or disperse liquid, a powder, etc., in drops or particles.
-
to be sprinkled.
-
to rain slightly (often used impersonally with it as subject).
It may sprinkle this evening.
noun
-
sprinkles
plural
-
the act or an instance of sprinkling.
-
Usually sprinkles. small particles of chocolate, candy, sugar, etc., used as a decorative topping for cookies, cakes, ice-cream cones, and the like.
-
a light rain.
-
a small quantity or number.
-
a small party given to celebrate a mother-to-be or bride-to-be as an alternative to a larger bridal or baby shower.
We decided to skip the big baby shower and just have a sprinkle this time.
-
Archaic. something used for sprinkling.
a holy-water sprinkle.
verb
-
to scatter (liquid, powder, etc) in tiny particles or droplets over (something)
-
(tr) to distribute over (something)
the field was sprinkled with flowers
-
(intr) to drizzle slightly
noun
-
the act or an instance of sprinkling or a quantity that is sprinkled
-
a slight drizzle
Synonym Usage
Sprinkle, scatter, strew mean to fling, spread, or disperse. To sprinkle means to fling about small drops or particles: to sprinkle water on clothes, powder on plants. To scatter is to disperse or spread widely: to scatter seeds. To strew is to scatter, especially in such a way as to cover or partially cover a surface: to strew flowers on a grave.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
resprinkleverb
-
intersprinkleverb (used with object)
-
presprinkleverb (used with object)
-
unsprinkledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sprinklesimple
-
sprinklessimple
-
have sprinkledperfect
-
has sprinkledperfect
-
am sprinklingprogressive
-
are sprinklingprogressive
-
is sprinklingprogressive
-
have been sprinklingperfect progressive
-
has been sprinklingperfect progressive
Past
-
sprinkledsimple
-
had sprinkledperfect
-
was sprinklingprogressive
-
were sprinklingprogressive
-
had been sprinklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sprinkle
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb sprenklen; cognate with Dutch sprenkelen, German sprenkeln; akin to Old English sprengan “to sprinkle, make (something) spring, scatter,” causative of springan “to spring”; see spring
Explanation
A sprinkle is a light shower of something, often water. It’s also a verb that means to gently scatter something. A sprinkle of snow won’t cause school to close, but a sprinkle of fairy dust could transport you to a magical land. When there’s a sprinkle of rain, you should bring an umbrella just in case it turns into a downpour. A sprinkler causes a sprinkle of water to fall on the flowerbeds, and if it’s really hot, it can be fun to play under. At the Memorial Day parade, the firefighters might sprinkle confetti over the crowd — and if you’re lucky, they’ll sprinkle candy, too. Speaking of candy, a sprinkle is also a tiny treat often sprinkled on your ice cream.
Vocabulary lists containing sprinkle
Raining Cats and Dogs
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
National Cookie Day
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
Pour it in a pretty bottle, sprinkle some social-media buzz and you have a product that’s as much about joining a cultural moment as it is about the water itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
It’s also his first record sung predominantly in Spanish — along with the occasional sprinkle of English and Korean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
During a red alert -- the highest level -- the ministry advises people to eat light, stay indoors in the hottest parts of the day and sprinkle themselves with cool water.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Powerful, quick and with a sprinkle of star dust that is Luis Diaz.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
It’s beginning to sprinkle, so Maxine turns the wipers on the lowest speed and I watch the water disappear and come back again.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
The emoji-filled caption accompanies a slideshow of photos featuring Cuoco, Pelphrey and their 3-year-old Matilda posing with a cake that is pink on the inside and covered in rainbow sprinkles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
He dismissively compares the building to a mona de Pascua, an Easter cake decorated with colorful sprinkles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Ice cream parlours have previously pointed to the mounting costs of ingredients like sprinkles and cocoa powder which have hit the industry.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
One wears sprinkles like confetti or a glaze sticky as the night and waits under hard light at an airport coffee counter.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
When we are finished they bring us each a bowl of vanilla ice cream with sprinkles on top.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
And who knew that 19th-century San Francisco socialites ground up iridescent abalone shells and sprinkled them on their invitations?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
In their parkway, too, Novack and Aggrey have sprinkled seeds from about two dozen native wildflowers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
A peak of pop excess, Raye's second full-length album is a 73-minute melodrama, sprinkled with golden age Hollywood glamour, show-stopping ballads, tongue twisting wordplay and genre smashing handbrake turns.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
People sprinkled cat litter, got mats out of their own vehicles to place under the tires.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
I got the triple-berry pancakes, which were sprinkled with powdered sugar.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
Peppers followed, along with a healthy sprinkling of spices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
This is how you prevent the flat, powdery taste that comes from sprinkling seasoning over finished sauce.
From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2026
She mastered the social and political media by not being boring, sprinkling her views with salty talk and a sassy smile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
A court upheld a ban on people sprinkling salt outside their homes and businesses.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
Bloom shifted, rustled, tapped his pipe out into his palm; the ashes made a sprinkling noise going into the wastebasket.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
