spatter
/ˈspatə
/verb [with object]
1Cover with drops or spots of something: passing vehicles spattered his shoes and trousers with mud...
- Various scorch marks and spattered blood let her know she had indeed missed something.
- Someone tossed a melon-rind at Adriana's feet; drops of cool slime spattered her ankles.
- He could feel the blood spattering his shoulder.
Synonyms
splash, bespatter, splatter, spray, sprinkle, spritz, shower, speck, speckle, fleck, mottle, blotch, smear, stain, mark, dirty, soil, daub, cover
informal splotch, splodge
Scottish & Irish informal slabber
literary besprinkle, bedabble
1.1Scatter or splash (liquid, mud, etc.) over a surface: he spatters grease all over the cooker...
- The man fell against the railing as soapy water splashed everywhere, spattering the deck and running off the ship through the rails.
- A shower of fluid spattered the shaving mirror.
- Jason finally sprinted ahead, and jumped into the pool, spattering us with water.
1.2 [no object] Fall so as to be scattered over an area: she watched the raindrops spatter down...
- She watched as it spattered on the ground far below.
- Light rain began to fall, but made no noise as it spattered on the sheer-plated roofs.
- The rain spattered against the window.
noun
1A spray or splash of something: she stood clear of the spatter of water that came off the steps...
- To control spatters and the residue of cooking fumes, the entire kitchen should be washed with a good degreaser at least once a week.
- She stood at the water's edge and felt a spatter hit her face.
- They're practical and help protect clothes against spatters and spills.
1.1A sprinkling: there was a spatter of freckles over her nose...
- A spatter of bullets told Hoffman of the attempted attack.
- Anyway, there was a spatter of water just pouring off this lip.
1.2A short outburst of sound: the sharp spatter of shots
Origin
Mid 16th century (in the sense 'splutter while speaking'): frequentative, from a base shared by Dutch, Low German spatten 'burst, spout'.