sprinkling

[ spring-kling ]

/ ˈsprɪŋ klɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sprinkling ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small quantity or number scattered here and there.

a small quantity sprinkled or to be sprinkled.

Nearby words

Origin of sprinkling

First recorded in 1400–50, sprinkling is from the late Middle English word sprenclyng. See sprinkle, -ing¹

SYNONYMS FOR sprinkling

1, 2. sprinkle, touch, dash, hint.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sprinkling ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formssprin·kling·ly, adverb

sprinkle

[ spring-kuhl ]

/ ˈsprɪŋ kəl /

verb (used with object), sprin·kled, sprin·kling.

to scatter (a liquid, powder, etc.) in drops or particles: She sprinkled powder on the baby.

to disperse or distribute here and there.

to overspread with drops or particles of water, powder, or the like: to sprinkle a lawn.

to diversify or intersperse with objects scattered here and there.

verb (used without object), sprin·kled, sprin·kling.

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.

something used for 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.

Origin of sprinkle

1350–1400; Middle English sprenklen (v.); cognate with Dutch sprenkelen, German sprenkeln; akin to Old English sprengan to sprinkle, make (something) spring, scatter, causative of springan to spring

SYNONYMS FOR sprinkle

1. distribute, rain. 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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sprinkle ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsin·ter·sprin·kle, verb (used with object), in·ter·sprin·kled, in·ter·sprin·kling.pre·sprin·kle, verb (used with object), pre·sprin·kled, pre·sprin·kling.re·sprin·kle, verb, re·sprin·kled, re·sprin·kling.un·sprin·kled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sprinkling

Stephen Colbert dug up the clip and had a laugh, sprinkling on some fun with puns to seal the deal.
Dumpster Politicians, Jeter Tributes, and More Viral Videos|Jack Holmes|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A sprinkling of hands went up, maybe 15 to 20 percent of the audience—“and some of them lie,” he exclaimed.
The Key to Being a Leader During Crisis? Break the Rules|Eleanor Clift|October 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sprinkling a little personal responsibility sugar on top can't hurt.
Remember the Party of Personal Responsibility?|Michael Tomasky|July 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Probably because self-identified Republicans include moderates and even a sprinkling of liberals.
'Independents' are Not Moderates|David Frum|January 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Most also are George W. Bush/Dick Cheney/Don Rumsfeld retreads, with a dash of Reaganites and a sprinkling of realists thrown in.
The Republican Party Is Losing Its Grip on Foreign Policy|Leslie H. Gelb|November 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It possesses its own nouns, verbs and other parts of speech, a sprinkling of slang, and practically no "swear" words.
The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe|Ernest Young
As they got closer to downtown Kowloon, however, Chinese predominated, with only a sprinkling of what were evidently Englishmen.
The Caves of Fear|John Blaine
Toward the end of our ride we got where the ground was more fertile, and there had recently been a sprinkling of rain.
Hunting the Grisly and Other Sketches|Theodore Roosevelt
It was the home of the three hundred miners and their families,—mostly Huns, but with a sprinkling of Cornishmen.
The Fat of the Land|John Williams Streeter
Baste them with butter, and take them up with the gravy in, sprinkling a little over them before they are quite done.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for sprinkling

sprinkling

/ (ˈsprɪŋklɪŋ) /

noun

a small quantity or amounta sprinkling of commonsense

sprinkle

/ (ˈsprɪŋkəl) /

verb

to scatter (liquid, powder, etc) in tiny particles or droplets over (something)

(tr) to distribute over (something)the field was sprinkled with flowers

(intr) to drizzle slightly

noun

the act or an instance of sprinkling or a quantity that is sprinkled

a slight drizzle

Word Origin for sprinkle

C14: probably from Middle Dutch sprenkelen; related to Old English spearca spark 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sprinkling

sprinkling

"small amount," 1590s, verbal noun from sprinkle (v.).

sprinkle

late 14c. (implied in sprinkled), frequentative of sprenge (see spring (v.)) or via Middle Dutch, Middle Low German sprenkel "spot, speck," from PIE root *(s)preg- "to jerk, scatter" (cf. Latin spargere "to scatter, sprinkle"). The meaning "rain lightly" is first recorded 1778. Related: Sprinkling.

sprinkling

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of sprinkling

sprinkle

verb (used with object), sprin·kled, sprin·kling.

verb (used without object), sprin·kled, sprin·kling.

noun

Origin of sprinkle

Examples from the Web for sprinkling

sprinkling

noun

sprinkle

verb

noun

Word Origin for sprinkle

sprinkling

sprinkle