splatter
/ˈsplætɚ/ noun, verb
Forms splatters splattering splattered
- noun An uneven shape or mess created by something dispersing on impact. “He had a hard time cleaning up the paint splatters on the carpet.”
- noun (uncountable, attributive, film) A genre of gory horror. “splatter film; splatter movie”
- noun (uncountable, radio) Spurious emissions resulting from an abrupt change in a transmitted radio signal.
- verb (intransitive) To splash; to scatter; to land or strike in an uneven, distributed mess. “The drink splattered all over me, the table, and the floor when I knocked it over.”
- verb (transitive) To cause (something) to splatter. “He splattered paint onto the wall.”
- verb (transitive) To spatter (something or somebody).
Synonyms
spatter spattering splattering sputter splutter sputtering dab splash spill slop plash splosh swash
Etymology
Uncertain. Emerged 1780s.https://www.etymonline.com/word/splatter Possibly a blend of splash + spatter.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “splatter”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details