sprinkle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
sprinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sprinkled,
past participle, past
-
sprinkling
present participle
-
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)
-
sprinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sprinkled,
past participle, past
-
sprinkling
present participle
-
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
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sprinkles
plural
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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.
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a small quantity or number.
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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
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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resprinkleverb
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intersprinkleverb (used with object)
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presprinkleverb (used with object)
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unsprinkledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sprinklesimple
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sprinklessimple
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have sprinkledperfect
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has sprinkledperfect
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am sprinklingprogressive
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are sprinklingprogressive
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is sprinklingprogressive
-
have been sprinklingperfect progressive
-
has been sprinklingperfect progressive
Past
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sprinkledsimple
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had sprinkledperfect
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was sprinklingprogressive
-
were sprinklingprogressive
-
had been sprinklingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see spring
Explanation
A sprinkle is a light shower of something, often water. It’s also a verb that means to gently scatter something. A sprinkle of snow won’t cause school to close, but a sprinkle of fairy dust could transport you to a magical land. When there’s a sprinkle of rain, you should bring an umbrella just in case it turns into a downpour. A sprinkler causes a sprinkle of water to fall on the flowerbeds, and if it’s really hot, it can be fun to play under. At the Memorial Day parade, the firefighters might sprinkle confetti over the crowd — and if you’re lucky, they’ll sprinkle candy, too. Speaking of candy, a sprinkle is also a tiny treat often sprinkled on your ice cream.
Vocabulary lists containing sprinkle
Raining Cats and Dogs
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National Cookie Day
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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:
Pour it in a pretty bottle, sprinkle some social-media buzz and you have a product that’s as much about joining a cultural moment as it is about the water itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
For an earthy, curry-inspired bowl of soup, sprinkle in a pinch of cumin and coriander or add in a few drops of toasted sesame oil.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Full of pace and dynamism with Luis Diaz as a sprinkle of stardust.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
It’s also his first record sung predominantly in Spanish — along with the occasional sprinkle of English and Korean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
They could dump a foot of snow or a sprinkle of snow.
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
"If you start out with pure vanilla ice cream but start mixing in sprinkles soon after, it won't be long until you can no longer find any pristine, plain, vanilla ice cream," Zhu said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Her name was her brand, and so, too, was her profile: the full bosom and tiny waist, platinum wig and baubles like sprinkles on an ice cream cone, 5 feet tall standing in five-inch heels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Cake crumbles, graham-cracker crust toppings and star-spangled sprinkles are a whole other challenge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
A "chocolate doughnut Easter egg" triggers curiosity - a shell blended with shortbread and fudge pieces, topped with sprinkles.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
Brother Vu sautes the beef-and-potato goo with onions and sprinkles on the magic sauce before serving the mess with rice.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
The Hill Country’s accommodations for travelers have largely consisted of small inns and B&Bs sprinkled throughout rural towns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Articles about AI are sprinkled with metaphors that evoke frightening cinematic images.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The BBC previously heard from one frustrated listener, who, after finding his playlists increasingly sprinkled with tracks he suspected were AI-generated, built a tool to automatically label and block them.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Tail Town’s main room is filled with stacked cat beds, an exercise wheel, two huge rectangular storage benches sprinkled with doughnut-shaped beds, and cat-themed art on the walls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
They’re dancing with each other in the air, above a gigantic green ocean that is sprinkled with countless islands.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
That possibility underscores why sprinkling in Crill’s winning factors could be useful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Mix together a beloved film simmering for decades, a sprinkling of social media hype and a generous glug of star power and you just might conjure up the long-awaited sequel to Practical Magic.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
You hadn’t had “Twin Peaks,” although we were kind of slightly “The Office,” “Twin Peaks,” sprinkling of “Northern Exposure” maybe, but nothing I think of that sort had been for a while.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Others were seen sprinkling water to cool them.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Nobody there but Malvonne sprinkling ashes on patches of ice.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
