What does "splat" mean?
The narrow wooden centre piece of a chair back.
Splat
/splæt/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The narrow wooden centre piece of a chair back.
- Grammar: splat is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bam, bang, beam, billet.
- Useful contrasts: calm, clean area, line.
- Usage evidence: I didn't see the egg fall, but I heard the splat when it hit the floor.
How to use "splat"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "splat" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "splat" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "splat" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "splat" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "splat" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bam" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "splat", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The narrow wooden centre piece of a chair back.
- 2 The sharp, atonal sound of a liquid or soft solid hitting a solid surface.
"I didn't see the egg fall, but I heard the splat when it hit the floor."
- 3 a slat of wood in the middle of the back of a straight chair wordnet
- 4 The irregular shape of a viscous liquid or soft solid which has hit a solid surface.
"The canvas was covered by seemingly careless splats of paint."
- 5 a single splash wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 The Command key on an Apple Macintosh. slang
- 7 Any of various characters appearing in computer character sets.; The asterisk * slang
- 8 Any of various characters appearing in computer character sets.; The hash symbol # slang
- 9 An operator indicating a variable-length argument list, often denoted by * or ....
"It consists of three dots or periods preceding the last (or only) parameter in the function signature. The splat operator converts the values passed to the function into an array, which can then be used inside the function […]"
- 10 An operator which takes a scalar value and creates a vector in which each element is initialized to that value.
"For example, "broadcast" (sometimes called "splat") makes a vector whose lanes are all the same scalar, like Rust's [42; N] array literal."
- 11 A move in playboating involving stalling in place while positioned vertically against a solid object in the water.
- 12 A children's game in which one person, in the centre of a circle of players, points and says "SPLAT!" at another player. That player then ducks down and the two players either side of them point and say "SPLAT!". The slowest to react is and eliminated from the game. The final is settled by a Mexican standoff.
Verb
- 1 To hit a flat surface and deform into an irregular shape. intransitive
"The egg splatted onto the floor."
- 2 flatten on impact wordnet
- 3 To splatter. transitive
"She splatted the roach with her shoe."
- 4 split open and flatten for cooking wordnet
- 5 To combine different textures by applying an alpha channel map to the higher levels, revealing the layers underneath where the map is partially or completely transparent. transitive
"Figure 6: Checkerboard rendering using two different screen space surface splatting algorithms."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 give off the sound of a bullet flattening on impact wordnet
Example
"I didn't see the egg fall, but I heard the splat when it hit the floor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "splat"?
Common synonyms include: bam, bang, beam, billet, blob, blot.
How do you use "splat" in a sentence?
I didn't see the egg fall, but I heard the splat when it hit the floor.
How do you pronounce "splat"?
Pronounced /splæt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From earlier splat (“to spread flat”), from Middle English splatten, splaten (“to stretch out, extend", also "to split”). Compare dialectal English splat (“flat”).
Etymology 2
Onomatopoeic.