Definition

1. Verb:

   • To scatter or splash small drops of a liquid or soft substance in an irregular or messy way, often causing spots or stains.
   • To fall or strike something in a scattered, irregular way, making a light, rapid sound.

2. Noun:

   • The act or sound of something spattering.
   • A small, scattered amount or number of something, like spots or drops.

Usage

• Verb (Transitive): To cause a liquid or soft substance to fall or be thrown in scattered drops.
  • The passing truck spattered mud all over my clean car.
  • Be careful not to spatter paint on the floor while you're working.
• Verb (Intransitive): (Of a liquid or substance) to fall or be scattered in drops.
  • Rain began to spatter against the windowpane.
  • Grease spattered from the hot pan.
• Noun: Used to describe the result or sound of this action.
  • There was a spatter of oil on the garage floor.
  • We heard the spatter of rain on the roof.

Advanced Usage

• "spatter with": To cover something with scattered drops of a substance.
  • The artist's apron was spattered with different colors of paint.
• Used in forensic contexts to describe bloodstain patterns.
  • The analyst studied the blood spatter to reconstruct the crime scene.

Variants and Related Words

• Spattering (noun/gerund): The action or process of spattering.
  • The spattering of the frying bacon was loud.
• Spattered (adjective): Covered with scattered drops or spots.
  • He was wearing spattered overalls.

Synonyms

• Verb: Splash, sprinkle, speckle, bespatter, dot, spray.
• Noun: Splatter, sprinkling, spray, patter.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• Spatter on/over/against: To hit a surface in scattered drops.
  • Mud spattered over the sidewalk.
• Spatter something with something: To cover something with scattered drops.
  • She spattered the canvas with bright blue paint.

Related Idioms

• While "spatter" itself is not commonly the core of idioms, it appears in descriptive phrases.
  • A spatter of applause/gunfire: A small, scattered amount of a sound or action.

    • His speech was met with only a faint spatter of applause.

Noun

1. the act of splashing a (liquid) substance on a surface
2. the noise of something spattering or sputtering explosively
   • he heard a spatter of gunfire

Verb

1. spot, splash, or soil
   • The baby spattered the bib with food
2. rain gently
   • It has only sprinkled, but the roads are slick
3. dash a liquid upon or against
   • The mother splashed the baby's face with water