overspray

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/ˈoʊvə(ɹ)ˌspɹeɪ//ˌoʊvə(ɹ)ˈspɹeɪ/

noun

In spray painting, the spray that goes outside the area being painted (necessary to ensure coverage at the edge).

OriginEnglish spray ← Middle English over- ← Old English ofer- →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

nounoverspray (plural oversprays)

plural oversprays

  1. In spray painting, the spray that goes outside the area being painted (necessary to ensure coverage at the edge).
verboverspray (third-person singular simple present oversprays, present participle overspraying, simple past and past participle oversprayed)

present singular third person oversprays · participle present overspraying · participle past oversprayed · past oversprayed

  1. To produce overspray when spray painting.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Germanic*uber
  4. Old Englishofer-
  5. Middle Englishover-
  6. Englishover-
  7. Englishspray
  8. Englishoverspray

From over- + spray.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

overspray. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overspray

MLA

“overspray.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overspray. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overspray,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overspray.

Source: overspray on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.