spray
1 Americannoun
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water or other liquid broken up into minute droplets and blown, ejected into, or falling through the air.
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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.
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a liquid to be discharged or applied in such a jet.
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an apparatus or device for discharging such a liquid.
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a quantity of small objects, flying or discharged through the air.
a spray of shattered glass.
verb (used with object)
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sprays,
present (3rd person singular)
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sprayed,
past participle, past
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spraying
present participle
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to scatter in the form of fine particles.
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to apply as a spray.
to spray an insecticide on plants.
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to sprinkle or treat with a spray.
to spray plants with insecticide.
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to direct a spray of particles, missiles, etc., upon.
to spray the mob with tear gas.
verb (used without object)
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sprays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sprayed,
past participle, past
-
spraying
present participle
-
to scatter spray; discharge a spray.
The hose sprayed over the flowers.
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to issue as spray.
The water sprayed from the hose.
noun
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a single, slender shoot, twig, or branch with its leaves, flowers, or berries.
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a group or bunch of cut flowers, leafy twigs, etc., arranged decoratively and for display, as in a vase.
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an ornament having a similar form.
noun
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fine particles of a liquid
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a liquid, such as perfume, paint, etc, designed to be discharged from an aerosol or atomizer
hair spray
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the aerosol or atomizer itself
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a quantity of small objects flying through the air
a spray of bullets
verb
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to scatter (liquid) in the form of fine particles
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to discharge (a liquid) from an aerosol or atomizer
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(tr) to treat or bombard with a spray
to spray the lawn
noun
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a single slender shoot, twig, or branch that bears buds, leaves, flowers, or berries, either growing on or detached from a plant
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a small decorative bouquet or corsage of flowers and foliage
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a piece of jewellery designed to resemble a spray of flowers, leaves, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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sprayabilitynoun
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sprayernoun
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sprayableadjective
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spraylessadjective
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spraylikeadjective
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unsprayableadjective
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unsprayedadjective
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well-sprayedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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spraysimple
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sprayssimple
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have sprayedperfect
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has sprayedperfect
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am sprayingprogressive
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are sprayingprogressive
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is sprayingprogressive
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have been sprayingperfect progressive
-
has been sprayingperfect progressive
Past
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sprayedsimple
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had sprayedperfect
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was sprayingprogressive
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were sprayingprogressive
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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:
Gaggles of British tourists with fur coats and spray tans jostled for seating, clutching their outerwear to their chests for space as they scouted for a table to open up.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Serve with lightly sweetened orange-zest whipped cream — homemade or straight from the spray can.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Lineage has already deployed odor-control spray systems, industrial air scrubbers, and fly and rodent traps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
What to be aware of: If you want a colour change with a spray or dye, do a patch test first to check you are not allergic.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Even from the car, I can see the huge waves smashing against rocks, the spray dusting down on all the parked cars like tiny raindrops.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
A Labrador sprays his friends with water soaked into his fur from the bone-shaped pool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
A former electrical engineer who moved from his native Kentucky to take a defense job, Montgomery founded the company in 2023 with an eye toward getting pesticide sprays out of suburban yards.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Nadira Goffe argues that watching the film in 4DX—which features, among other things, scents, moving chairs, and sprays of water—is the superior way to experience the epic adventure.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
In many outbreaks, contaminated water used for irrigation or agricultural sprays has been identified as a likely source, he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Her condo was clean and modern, with white walls and white furniture and sprays of exquisite bright orchids adding color.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
The techniques vary: either seeding rockets are burned to release a plume of particles, or the saline solution is sprayed directly into the cloud for greater precision.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
“I kind of sprayed the ball a little bit,” Skubal said after a 6-5 win over Kansas City in his Dodger Stadium debut.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Dozens of the black and blue pillars have been sprayed since they began sprouting earlier this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Anti-guga hunt graffiti was sprayed on walls at NatureScot's headquarters in Inverness in February, and was followed by a rooftop protest in March.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Fine lines sprayed out from around her eyes.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
The process involves spraying particles such as silver iodide and salt from aircraft to produce rainfall, but depends on clouds being present.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 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
Even before the incident with Verstappen, Russell was afflicted on his final run by a water leak, which was spraying water on to his rear tyres.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Every summer, lawns fill with colorful "silly sprinklers," whose looping and twisting tubes send water spraying in unusual patterns.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
There’s a fountain in the middle of it, a round fountain spraying water in the shape of a dandelion gone to seed.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
