VocabauraVOCABAURA

splash

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The sound made by an object hitting a liquid.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

splash
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈsplæʃ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. onomatopoeia

    The sound made by an object hitting a liquid.

  2. A small quantity of something moist or liquid

  3. A mark or stain made from a small amount of liquid.

  4. A small amount (of color).

  5. An impact or impression.

verb

  1. Dash a liquid upon or against

    “The mother splashed the baby's face with water.”

  2. Strike and dash about in a liquid

    “The boys splashed around in the pool.”

  3. intransitive

    To hit or agitate liquid so that part of it separates from the principal liquid mass.

  4. transitive

    To hit or expel liquid at.

  5. intransitiveof a liquid

    To disperse suddenly as a result of an impulse; to splatter.

  6. transitive

    To create an impact or impression; to print, post, or publicize prominently.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (onomatopoeia) The sound made by an object hitting a liquid.

Used this way, splash is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • plash , rarer, so it draws attention
  • slosh , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use splash

  • “The mother splashed the baby's face with water.”verb
  • “Her red hat gave her outfit a splash of color.”noun
  • “The boys splashed around in the pool.”verb

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “splash”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Sound / mark

big splash

Body

splash mountain

Other combinations

splash screensplash zonegreat splashloud splashsplash waterheavy splash

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • splashingnounInflected form

    The act of splashing a (liquid) substance on a surface.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • splash guardnounCompound term

    A curved piece above the wheel of a bicycle or motorcycle to protect the rider from water or mud thrown up by the wheels.

  • splash aroundverbCompound term

    Play in or as if in water, as of small children.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

noun

Sense: sound made by an object hitting a liquid

spatterplashRare

verb

Sense: dash a liquid upon or against

slushsloshRareslop

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “splash” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.