splatter

American  

[splat-er] / ˈsplæt ər /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to splash and scatter upon impact.

   The paint splattered when I dropped the bucket.

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noun

1. an act or instance of splattering.

2. the quantity splattered.

   to wipe up a splatter of ketchup on the rug.

adjective

1. characterized by gory imagery.

   splatter films.

splatter British  

/ ˈsplætə /

verb

1. to splash with small blobs; spatter

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noun

1. a splash of liquid, mud, etc

Other Word Forms

• unsplattered adjective

Etymology

Origin of splatter

1775–85; blend of splash and spatter

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.

Example Sentences

There was no trace of Yablonka, including any blood splatter.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2023

In interviews, some city sanitation workers described persistent safety concerns, such as coming into contact with carcasses of rabid dogs and acid splatter from batteries.

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2023

And if I was some paint, did it splatter On a promising grown man?

From Salon • Sep. 17, 2023

After India had added only one to their overnight 151-5, Scott Boland produced a nip-backer to splatter the stumps of Bharat and give the impression that Australia would hurry through the lower order.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2023

And as the voices of the crowd churned and mounted and became an impatient splatter of hand claps, I thought of Master's low hoarse growl.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison