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:
The acquisition won’t make an immediate financial splash once it’s complete, seeing as Taalas is a 24-person company with $219 million raised since 2023 and one working chip as of February 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
“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
China’s DeepSeek, which caused a splash with its affordable AI models, said it was raising prices for its flagship V4 models as competition intensifies and computing costs rise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 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
Lester bolted out from the right and flew into the water, making a splash like an anvil hurled over the side.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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
"Summer of chaos" is the Daily Mirror's headline as it splashes with a picture of beachgoers watching fires rage in Lacanau, France.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The Daily Mail splashes with "Vindicated" after the Duke of Sussex and six others lost their High Court privacy case against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Disney’s live-action ‘Moana’ splashes into theaters, ‘Little House on the Prairie’ gets a Netflix reboot, the Rolling Stones release their 25th studio album, and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The river splashes in waves as thousands of people jump in it at once trying to get to the other side.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
The clouds decided to cluster above and surprise me midtrip, releasing the rain down hard as I finished the journey, weaving as strategically as possible to avoid getting splashed by the cars next to me.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
That month, he and his wife, Sheri, splashed out $44 million on a sprawling five-bedroom penthouse in the Surf Club, Four Seasons Private Residences in Florida.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
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 2026 World Cup champions are also splashed across the Times, which put out a fresh edition on Sunday night to include Spain's triumph.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 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
The Dream led by as much as 42 points, with Angel Reese splashing 18 first-half points.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The hyperscalers splashing out billions on data centers have been big beneficiaries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 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
I stitched the train that took us to Varanasi, and Hari splashing about in the river.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
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.
