splashes

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of splash.

   Several splashes of paint covered the artist's apron.

   The diver's entry sent up two huge splashes.

   Note

   The -es ending follows the -sh of the stem, and it makes this plural identical in spelling to the present-tense verb. Only the surrounding sentence tells them apart. The plural serves every countable meaning of splash: sounds of something striking water, small daubs of color, stains left on cloth, even informal splash screens. Splashes of color is the natural phrase for the painterly meaning.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of splash.

   The waterfall splashes against the rocks below the trail.

   A passing truck splashes mud onto the sidewalk after every storm.

   Note

   What matters with this form is what follows the verb. It can stand alone (the waterfall splashes), take the liquid as its object (a truck splashes mud), or take the target (a child splashes her brother). Figuratively, a newspaper splashes a story across its front page, and another transitive use simply means spending money. Its -es ending is the same one the plural noun carries.

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