sprinkle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to scatter (a liquid, powder, etc.) in drops or particles.
She sprinkled sugar on the cake.
- Synonyms:
- rain , scatter , distribute
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to disperse or distribute here and there.
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to overspread with drops or particles of water, powder, or the like.
to sprinkle a lawn.
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to diversify or intersperse with objects scattered here and there.
verb (used without object)
-
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
-
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.
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Archaic. something used for sprinkling.
a holy-water sprinkle.
verb
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to scatter (liquid, powder, etc) in tiny particles or droplets over (something)
-
(tr) to distribute over (something)
the field was sprinkled with flowers
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(intr) to drizzle slightly
noun
-
the act or an instance of sprinkling or a quantity that is sprinkled
-
a slight drizzle
Related Words
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
- intersprinkle verb (used with object)
- presprinkle verb (used with object)
- resprinkle verb
- unsprinkled adjective
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”; spring
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.
There are now AI tools sprinkled in free popular apps too, including Instagram and the iPhone’s Photos app.
The highly publicized indictment against Williamson was sprinkled with references to her phone calls and text messages, indicating that federal investigators were likely relying on wiretapping.
From Los Angeles Times
Roll the dough into a ball on a board sprinkled with flour, then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
From Salon
“No Other Choice” exhibits spasms of taut thriller and family melodrama, but its bare-knuckled satire, sprinkled with slapstick, plays as Park’s funniest film.
From Los Angeles Times
By Monday the storm had been reduced to light sprinkles across the area.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
