What does "spray" mean?
A fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid.
Spray
/spɹeɪ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid.
- Grammar: spray is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aerate, aerify, aerosol, aerosol.
- Useful contrasts: absorb, brushing, dribbles.
- Usage evidence: By means of a super high-pressure water spray practically all the sediment is removed.
How to use "spray"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "spray" 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 "spray" 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 "spray" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "spray" 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 "spray" 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 "aerate" 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 "spray", 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 A fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid. countable, uncountable
"The sailor could feel the spray from the waves."
- 2 A small branch of flowers or berries. countable
"The bridesmaid carried a spray of lily-of-the-valley."
- 3 a dispenser that turns a liquid (such as perfume) into a fine mist wordnet
- 4 Something resembling a spray of liquid. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"Nurse Cramer had a cute nose and a radiant, blooming complexion dotted with fetching sprays of adorable freckles that Yossarian detested."
- 5 A collective body of small branches. countable
"The tree has a beautiful spray."
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 flower arrangement consisting of a single branch or shoot bearing flowers and foliage wordnet
- 7 A pressurized container; an atomizer. countable
- 8 Branches and twigs collectively; foliage. uncountable
"Gret fur he made þer aniȝt of wode & of sprai."
- 9 a jet of vapor wordnet
- 10 Any of numerous commercial products, including paints, cosmetics, and insecticides, that are dispensed from containers in this manner. countable
- 11 An orchard. countable, obsolete
- 12 a quantity of small objects flying through the air wordnet
- 13 A jet of fine medicated vapour, used either as an application to a diseased part or to charge the air of a room with a disinfectant or a deodorizer. countable
- 14 An ornament or design that resembles a branch. countable
- 15 a pesticide in suspension or solution; intended for spraying wordnet
- 16 A side channel or branch of the runner of a flask, made to distribute the metal to all parts of the mold. countable
- 17 water in small drops in the atmosphere; blown from waves or thrown up by a waterfall wordnet
- 18 A group of castings made in the same mold and connected by sprues formed in the runner and its branches. countable
- 19 The allocation and filling of blocks of memory with the same byte sequence, hoping to establish that sequence in a certain predetermined location as part of an exploit. countable
"This approach would be altered for an optimal omelette based exploit. One would spray the heap with the omelette code solely, then load a single copy of the additional shellcode eggs into memory outside the target region for the spray."
- 20 A loud scolding or reprimand, usually delivered by a sports coach or similar figure. Australia, countable, uncountable
"On match days he could give a good spray, and in many ways he was an old-fashioned coach, having learned a lot of his approach from Ron Barassi."
Verb
- 1 To project a liquid in a dispersive manner toward something. transitive
"The firemen sprayed the house."
- 2 scatter in a mass or jet of droplets wordnet
- 3 To project in a dispersive manner. ergative
"Spray some ointment on that scratch."
- 4 cover by spraying with a liquid wordnet
- 5 To project many small items dispersively. figuratively, transitive
"The sprawl of sheds like Magna Parks 1 to 3 are a particularly vivid measure, because they host the final moment of relative stasis for millions of products that are then sprayed out to homes in every direction."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 be discharged in sprays of liquid wordnet
- 7 To urinate in order to mark territory. intransitive
- 8 To allocate blocks of memory from (a heap, etc.), and fill them with the same byte sequence, hoping to establish that sequence in a certain predetermined location as part of an exploit. transitive
"to spray the heap of a target process"
- 9 To pass (a ball), usually laterally across the field and often a long distance. transitive
"Kevin McLeod sprayed the ball across from the left flank where a raging Ainsworth met it on the volley from 25 yards out, crashing the ball into the roof of the net."
- 10 To kick (a ball) poorly and in an unintended direction. transitive
"Despite a goal to Vin Gardiner for Carlton, courtesy of an infringement, the Blues squandered many opportunities in attack. They sprayed the ball with their field kicking, and in their path toward goal."
- 11 To give unwanted advice. derogatory, slang
- 12 To shower guests dancing at a function with money. Nigeria
"“If a celebrator is dancing and you spray him/her, you may go to jail from the party venue because the law enforcement agents will be there, waiting to arrest you."
Example
"By means of a super high-pressure water spray practically all the sediment is removed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "spray"?
Common synonyms include: aerate, aerify, aerosol, aerosol, aerosolize, aerosols.
How do you use "spray" in a sentence?
By means of a super high-pressure water spray practically all the sediment is removed.
How do you pronounce "spray"?
Pronounced /spɹeɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch sprāien, sprayen, spraeyen (“to spray, sprinkle, spread”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sprēwijaną (“to spray, sprinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to sow, scatter”). Cognate with Middle High German spræjen, spræwen (“to squirt, spray, dust, splash, straw”), Danish dialectal språe (“to open up, burst forth”), Swedish dialectal språ (“to sprout, shoot forth, burst”), Norwegian dialectal spra, spræ (“to splash, splatter, spout, burst forth”), Dutch sproeien (“to spray, sprinkle”), German sprühen (“to spray, sparkle”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English spray, from Old English *spræġ, sprei (found in place names such as that of Spreyton, England), of unknown origin. Compare English sprig (“shoot, twig”).