splatter
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
splatters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
splattered,
past participle, past
-
splattering
present participle
noun
-
splatters
plural
-
an act or instance of splattering.
-
the quantity splattered.
to wipe up a splatter of ketchup on the rug.
adjective
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
splattersimple
-
splatterssimple
-
have splatteredperfect
-
has splatteredperfect
-
am splatteringprogressive
-
are splatteringprogressive
-
is splatteringprogressive
-
have been splatteringperfect progressive
-
has been splatteringperfect progressive
Past
-
splatteredsimple
-
had splatteredperfect
-
was splatteringprogressive
-
were splatteringprogressive
-
had been splatteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of splatter
Explanation
In horror movies, you'll see a lot of blood splattering on walls. Ick. To splatter is to splash liquid. A splatter is also the spot the liquid makes. When you spill some liquid on the ground, the sound it makes is splat. Splash a lot of it, and you have a splatter — drops of the liquid across a large area. If you are frying meat in a hot pan, the grease will splatter across the stove and counter near it. In the figurative use, gossip about a celebrity's mishaps is often splattered throughout a gossip magazine like spilled milk on a floor.
Vocabulary lists containing splatter
Holes
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Salt to the Sea
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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 remarkable Ms. Weaving is a contender for Australian Scream Queen, but few would expect Mr. Segel, a Judd Apatow mainstay, to star in a splatter comedy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“That way if anything does splatter, at least it will hit our chef jacket.”
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025
A park ranger noticed fresh paintball splatter on structures in the park Sunday, according to the park service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024
There was no trace of Yablonka, including any blood splatter.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2023
Drops splatter upward from pond-like puddles and blow in sideways but Celia does not feel any of them.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Sound came out of his horn in splatters and whistles, with a blend of playfulness and deep spirit that made it clear that the vessel he used mattered little.
From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
Next comes the primal sight - a full and swinging delivery from Wood that splatters the stumps.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2023
Add the pepper puree and salt to taste, stirring constantly as it splatters.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2023
It splatters and evolves as the mop becomes a giant paintbrush.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2022
One of them breaks and splatters the stone with yellow.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
This week the meal box came with a container of harissa sauce splattered over its contents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Brushes, pens and pencils lie next to the ripped cuffs of cotton workshirts, and drops of blue and white paint are splattered on the floor, extending the artwork beyond the wall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2026
Three years ago, FX’s “The Bear” splattered across our screens and made it impossible to look away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025
Andrew describes people's belongings being "scattered" and "coffee and water splattered the ceiling".
From BBC ● May 21, 2024
It was splattered with bits of rotted food, so rank we kept it shut away in a closet.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
"There are thousands of them together, all coughing and splattering," Bamford said, adding that the seals are also particularly "snotty".
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
Removing the moisture minimizes splattering as they fry.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
Old Rihanna songs blasted as we decorated our canvases, and the room was already covered in paint, so we didn’t have to worry about spilling or splattering on any surface.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
Especially when frying, she added, removing liquid through even a light pressing helps prevent splattering.
From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2022
Heavy rain was still splattering against the window as he got dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt; they would change into their school robes on the Hogwarts Express.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
