spattered; spattering; spatters
: to spurt forth in scattered drops
blood spattering everywhere
1
: to splash with or as if with a liquid
also
: to soil in this way
his coat was spattered with mud
2
: to scatter by or as if by splashing
spatter water
3
: to cover with or as if with splashes or spots
4
: to cast aspersions on : defame
spattered my reputation
1
a
: the act or process of spattering : the state of being spattered
b
: the noise of spattering
2
a
: a drop or splash spattered on something or a spot or stain due to spattering
b
: a small amount or number : sprinkle
a spatter of applause
Examples of spatter in a Sentence
Verb
The dog jumped in the pool and spattered us with water.
His clothes were spattered with paint.
When you cook bacon, the grease spatters everywhere.
He showed me how to use the paintbrush so the paint wouldn't spatter.
Noun
There were grease spatters all over the wall.
The floor was covered with spatters of paint.
There was a lot of paint spatter on the floor.
Recent Examples on the Web
M. Z. Adnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
And don't forget the bugs that constantly spatter the windshield and panels.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 July 2025
Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2025
Her body was found partially under her bed, her bedroom was in disarray, and there was blood spatter across the walls and floor.
—Jordan Kinsey, CBS News, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spatter
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Verb
His work from Jenin often commemorates the aftermath of violence: an image of a young man standing before three bodies stacked in a hospital mortuary; a pillow on a stretcher spattered with blood.
—M. Z. Adnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
And don't forget the bugs that constantly spatter the windshield and panels.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 July 2025
Noun
There were bullet holes in the Ford Fusion — the victim’s vehicle — through the rear passenger-side window, and blood spatters on the rear passenger door, according to the probable cause statement.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2025
Her body was found partially under her bed, her bedroom was in disarray, and there was blood spatter across the walls and floor.
—Jordan Kinsey, CBS News, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spatter
Cite this Entry
“Spatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spatter. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spatter
1 of 2 verb
spat·ter
ˈspat-ər 
1
: to splash with drops or small bits of something wet
spatter the paper with paint
2
: to scatter by splashing
spattered mud all over my coat
spatter
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or sound of spattering
2
: a drop or splash spattered on something : a spot or stain due to spattering
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