spray

CEFRB1

/spɹeɪ/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To send small drops of liquid through the air.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    A pressurized container; an atomizer.

Examples

  • By means of a super high-pressure water spray practically all the sediment is removed.

  • I need to buy some black spray paint.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meaning

  1. Something resembling a spray of liquid.

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid.

  2. Any of numerous commercial products, including paints, cosmetics, and insecticides, that are dispensed from containers in this manner.

More examples

In context

  • What kind of deodorant do you prefer, spray or roll-on?

  • The sailor could feel the spray from the waves.

  • Using a water cannon, the national guard sprayed the protesters.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The gardener used a hose to blank water on the plants regularly, helping them grow.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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”).