as in sprinkling
to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on
sprayed the lawn with pesticides
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spraying
The scale of the war effort had necessitated the creation of a health infrastructure on American soil—spraying for mosquitoes near the front lines in the Pacific wouldn’t mean anything if soldiers caught malaria at home before deployment.
—
Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Written and directed by Swift, the clip sees the singer fall in love with a fellow loner (Domhnall Gleeson) after spraying herself with a love potion fittingly called Opalite.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Low Water Pressure If water bubbles out of sprinkler heads instead of spraying out, this often indicates a problem with water pressure.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2026
In addition, scores of videos and news accounts have been circulating this month showing ICE agents pepper-spraying residents or throwing them to the ground in California, Arizona, Minnesota and elsewhere.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
Dipping, wiping, or spraying the surface of pruning tools is sufficient to disinfect blades between plants or pruning cuts.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2026
Two staffers at the same facility were indicted last year after allegedly pepper-spraying an 87-year-old dementia patient.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
Video of the incident shows a man spraying an unidentified substance at Omar from a syringe.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Kazmierczak was sitting in the audience and ran up to her, spraying her with a substance and yelling, the complaint says.
—Aki Nace, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Written and directed by Swift, the clip sees the singer fall in love with a fellow loner (Domhnall Gleeson) after spraying herself with a love potion fittingly called Opalite.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Low Water Pressure If water bubbles out of sprinkler heads instead of spraying out, this often indicates a problem with water pressure.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2026
In addition, scores of videos and news accounts have been circulating this month showing ICE agents pepper-spraying residents or throwing them to the ground in California, Arizona, Minnesota and elsewhere.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
Dipping, wiping, or spraying the surface of pruning tools is sufficient to disinfect blades between plants or pruning cuts.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Feb. 2026
Two staffers at the same facility were indicted last year after allegedly pepper-spraying an 87-year-old dementia patient.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2026
Video of the incident shows a man spraying an unidentified substance at Omar from a syringe.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Kazmierczak was sitting in the audience and ran up to her, spraying her with a substance and yelling, the complaint says.
—Aki Nace, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spraying
Verb
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Then, to complete the deep clean, Lane suggests, sprinkling baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher and running a second hot cycle with no detergent.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
4 Feb. 2026
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Player props have become such a big and fun part of betting on the big game, so here are 11 that are worth sprinkling a few bucks on.—
KC Joyner,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sundance could anoint hits, dotting the industry’s creative landscape with unlikely blockbusters.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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With vacant storefronts dotting some of the city's most popular corridors, Miami Beach is rolling out a bold new strategy to revive its famed commercial districts.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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All of the familiar tropes are there, from the numerous pop songs peppering the action (including one by Phil Collins, just to remind you of Miami Vice) to the profane banter between the two main characters to the endless fights, shootouts and chases to the colorful villain.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
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The Hirons spent most of Christmas Eve peppering the area around 119th and Mission Road with signs.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spraying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spraying. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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