splay
Example Sentences
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"The foot does start to change shape and tends to splay a little bit over time," says Branthwaite.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
They’re easily startled and may arch their back and splay their hands, as if to say, “The world is stressful for me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025
"The island is kind of stuck in the middle of these splay faults, so anytime these splay faults rupture, it's actually recording the uplift," DePaolis said.
From Science Daily ● May 20, 2024
Too many such cells caused the sepals to splay and expose the petals prematurely.
From Science Magazine ● Aug. 23, 2023
Spasms cause Peeta’s hands to tighten into fists, then splay out in a bizarre fashion.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Marshall slows it down by a factor of four, splays the voices and leaves its melodies hanging plaintively in the air, echoing into the distance like a musical question mark.
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2022
This is a woman who has the world where she wants it, and who laughs blithely throughout our chat – even when discussing the terrifying anxieties she nightly splays across the stage.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 20, 2019
Sediment that breaches the levees during flood stage is called crevasse splays delivering silt and clay into the floodplain.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017
The anole splays its little lizard fingers to break its fall as it hurtles face-first onto the ground.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2014
He splays his arms and fingers to show this is all his land.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
All lay splayed on the sidewalk, one a couple blocks from my home, the other two, blocks apart, closer to the market, itself located in a neighborhood where need is evident.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
They clipped 13 seconds of him tearing into a Whopper, sauce and a grin splayed across his face, and posted it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
Biking gear and supplies were splayed around the living room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026
Back in my room, I lay in bed and splayed out the cash in my hand, sending a photo of the bounty to my wife, who was surely fast asleep.
From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025
Downed trees lay across the path every fifty or sixty yards, often with great bomb craters of dirt around their splayed roots.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Images from the scene show a mangled heap of scaffolding and concrete splaying out onto the street, covered by green safety netting.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
On her knees, she bows, splaying her arm in praise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2025
He signaled to him, splaying his hands with exaggerated impatience: When are they coming out?
From New York Times ● Aug. 13, 2022
Do not braid or fold the leaves; gather them with garden twine to prevent splaying.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2021
The little creature flops down on a nearby cushion, her legs splaying in all directions.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Vocabulary lists containing splay
The Hobbit
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One of Us Is Lying
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"The Ravine" by Graham Salisbury
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