spray

SPRAY/spɹeɪ/

22 meanings of spray

1
nouncountable or uncountable
Many tiny drops of water or other liquid moving through the air.
The wind blew a cold spray off the sea into our faces.
We stood at the bottom of the waterfall and got wet from the spray.
Similarmist
Note
2
verbtransitive
To send liquid at a person or thing in many small drops.
Dad sprayed the dusty car with the garden hose.
Don't spray your sister with the water gun!
Similarhose, douse, sprinkle, spritz, squirt
Note
3
nouncountable
A product like paint, hair product, or bug killer that comes out of a can as a mist.
This spray keeps the mosquitoes away for a few hours.
Mom bought a spray to kill the ants in the kitchen.
4
verbtransitive or intransitive
To send something out in many small drops, or to come out that way.
Spray a little water on the plants every morning.
Juice sprayed everywhere when she bit into the orange.
Similarsquirt, spurt, spatter
Note
5
nouncountable
A can or bottle that pushes out liquid as a mist when you press the top.
The spray was empty, so she put it in the recycling bin.
He shook the spray and pressed the button on top.
Similaratomizer, aerosol
6
verbfigurativelytransitive
To send out lots of small things in every direction, like drops of water.
Like water from a hose, but with things instead of water.
The cannon sprayed confetti over the crowd at the end of the show.
Every week they spray thousands of packages out to homes across the country.
Similarscatter, spew
Note
7
nounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
Something that looks like many tiny drops spread out, like freckles on a nose.
A spray of freckles covered her nose and cheeks.
The painting shows a spray of tiny white stars across a dark sky.
Similarshower, sprinkling, scatter
Note
8
nouncountable
A small branch with flowers or berries on it.
She picked a spray of white flowers for the table.
A bright spray of holly berries hung on the front door.
Similarsprig
Note
9
verbintransitive
Of an animal, to pee on something to mark an area as its own.
Our cat started to spray in the hallway after the new kitten arrived.
The vet said the tomcat was spraying because he felt stressed.
Similarmark
Note
10
nouncountable
A fine mist of medicine put on a sore part of the body or used to clean a room's air.
The doctor used a spray of medicine on the sore patch of skin.
The nurse filled the room with a spray that killed germs in the air.
Note

11
noununcountable
All the small branches, twigs, and leaves of a tree or bush, as a whole.
The gardener piled the cut spray in a corner to burn later.
Birds hid among the thick spray of the hedge.
Note
12
nouncountable
A decoration or pattern that is made to look like a small branch.
She wore a silver spray shaped like a leafy twig on her coat.
The artist painted a spray of gold leaves along the edge of the plate.
13
nounAustraliacountable or uncountable
A loud, angry talk from a coach or boss about what someone did wrong.
The coach gave the team a spray at half time for not trying hard enough.
The boss gave us all a spray about the late delivery.
Similarearful, roasting, serve, rocket, dressing-down
Note
14
verbtransitive
In soccer, to pass the ball, often a long way sideways across the field.
The midfielder sprayed the ball out to the left wing.
Good players spray the ball from one side of the field to the other.
Similarping
Note
15
verbNigeriatransitive
To throw money over people as they dance at a party.
At the wedding, the uncles came forward to spray the bride as she danced.
At the birthday party, his friends sprayed him with cash as he danced to his favorite song.
Similarshower
Note
16
verbtransitive
In Australian football, to kick the ball badly so it goes the wrong way.
He sprayed the ball to the left and it rolled out of bounds.
Nervous players often spray the ball when they are close to goal.
Similarmiskick, shank
Note
17
verbslangderogatorytransitive or intransitive
To give advice that people do not want, especially about climbing.
He kept spraying about the right way to do the climb until we walked away.
Please don't spray, because I want to figure out the route by myself.
Note
18
nouncountable
In metal casting, a small side passage that carries melted metal to every part of a mold.
The metal flowed down the main channel and into each spray.
If a spray is too narrow, part of the mold stays empty.
Note
19
nouncountable
A group of metal pieces made in one mold that are still joined together by thin bars of metal.
The toy soldiers came out of the mold as one spray, joined by thin bars.
He snapped each piece off the spray and filed the rough edges.
Note
20
verb
To fill computer memory with copies of data to help an attack.
21
noun
Filling computer memory with the same data so an attack can use it.
22
nounobsolete
A piece of land where fruit trees are grown.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of spray apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–7, 9–10, 13–19

From the Middle Dutch word sprāien, meaning “to spray, sprinkle, spread”.

Meanings 8, 11–12

From an Old English word. Where it came from before that is unknown.