spray

plural sprays

1. countableuncountableA fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid.

   The sailor could feel the spray from the waves.

   1 more example

   A strong sirocco was blowing the spray from the waves as far as the little café, whose glass doors were shut. The café reeked of brewing sage and human beings whose breath steamed the windows because of the cold outside.

   1952, Nikos Kazantzakis, chapter 1, in Carl Wildman, transl., Zorba the Greek, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, translation of Βίος και πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά [Víos kai politeía tou Aléxi Zormpá], →ISBN, page 3

2. countablefigurativelyuncountableSomething resembling a spray of liquid.

   Nurse Cramer had a cute nose and a radiant, blooming complexion dotted with fetching sprays of adorable freckles that Yossarian detested.

   1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 171

3. countableA pressurized container; an atomizer.

   Synonyms: spray can

4. countableAny of numerous commercial products, including paints, cosmetics, and insecticides, that are dispensed from containers in this manner.

   Synonyms: spray can

5. countablemedicineA jet of fine medicated vapour, used either as an application to a diseased part or to charge the air of a room with a disinfectant or a deodorizer.
6. countableartsA side channel or branch of the runner of a flask, made to distribute the metal to all parts of the mold.
7. countableartsA group of castings made in the same mold and connected by sprues formed in the runner and its branches.
8. countablecomputingThe allocation and filling of blocks of memory with the same byte sequence, hoping to establish that sequence in a certain predetermined location as part of an exploit.

   This approach would be altered for an optimal omelette based exploit. One would spray the heap with the omelette code solely, then load a single copy of the additional shellcode eggs into memory outside the target region for the spray.

   2015, Herbert Bos, Fabian Monrose, Gregory Blanc, Research in Attacks, Intrusions, and Defenses: 18th International Symposium

9. AustraliacountableuncountableA loud scolding or reprimand, usually delivered by a sports coach or similar figure.

   He could give a bloody good spray, Bricey,' Cook says. 'He'd be frothing at the mouth after he'd finished.

   2018, Paul Amy, Fabulous Fred: The Strife and Times of Fred Cook, Melbourne Books, →ISBN

   2 more examples

   On match days he could give a good spray, and in many ways he was an old-fashioned coach, having learned a lot of his approach from Ron Barassi.

   2008, Robert Harvey, Harves: Strength Through Loyalty, Macmillan Publishers Aus., →ISBN, page 119

   Expectations of what they will put up with have changed and a big spray probably doesn't have the effect it used to have. It certainly worked for me, I would get really aggressive and get fired up 'cause it's a motivational device they used.

   2008, Kevin Hillier, Rocket Science: The Biography of Rodney Eade, Macmillan Publishers Aus., →ISBN, page 151

present singular third person sprays · participle present spraying · participle past sprayed · past sprayed

1. transitiveTo project a liquid in a dispersive manner toward something.

   The firemen sprayed the house.

   1 more example

   Using a water cannon, the national guard sprayed the protesters.

2. ergativeTo project in a dispersive manner.

   The water sprayed out of the hose.

   1 more example

   Spray some ointment on that scratch.

3. figurativelytransitiveTo project many small items dispersively.

   The sprawl of sheds like Magna Parks 1 to 3 are a particularly vivid measure, because they host the final moment of relative stasis for millions of products that are then sprayed out to homes in every direction.

   2019 November 21, Samanth Subramanian, “How our home delivery habit reshaped the world”, in The Guardian

   1 more example

   Now we are liberal with our innermost secrets, spraying them into the public ether with a generosity our forebears could not have imagined. Where we once sent love letters in a sealed envelope, or stuck photographs of our children in a family album, now such private material is despatched to servers and clouds operated by people we don't know and will never meet.

   2013 June 14, Jonathan Freedland, “Obama's once hip brand is now tainted”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 18

4. intransitivebiologyTo urinate in order to mark territory.
5. transitivecomputer securitycomputingTo allocate blocks of memory from (a heap, etc.), and fill them with the same byte sequence, hoping to establish that sequence in a certain predetermined location as part of an exploit.

   to spray the heap of a target process

   1 more example

   This approach would be altered for an optimal omelette based exploit. One would spray the heap with the omelette code solely, then load a single copy of the additional shellcode eggs into memory outside the target region for the spray.

   2015, Herbert Bos, Fabian Monrose, Gregory Blanc, Research in Attacks, Intrusions, and Defenses: 18th International Symposium

6. transitiveball gamesTo pass (a ball), usually laterally across the field and often a long distance.

   Yunus sprayed it to the wing where Ali was in some space.

   2013 August 11, Jamal Orme, The Victory Boys, Kube Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 13

   1 more example

   Kevin McLeod sprayed the ball across from the left flank where a raging Ainsworth met it on the volley from 25 yards out, crashing the ball into the roof of the net.

   2012 February 1, Ash Rose, The QPR Miscellany, The History Press, →ISBN

7. transitiveAustralian rules footballTo kick (a ball) poorly and in an unintended direction.

   But once again their forwards, including Sloss, sprayed the ball in front of goal and squandered their momentum by kicking a solitary goal and six careless behinds.

   2016 June 28, Nick Richardson, The Game of Their Lives, Macmillan Publishers Aus., →ISBN

   1 more example

   Despite a goal to Vin Gardiner for Carlton, courtesy of an infringement, the Blues squandered many opportunities in attack. They sprayed the ball with their field kicking, and in their path toward goal.

   2011, Ashley Browne, Grand Finals: The Stories Behind the Premier Teams of the Victorian Football League. 1897-1938, Slattery Media Group, →ISBN, page 143

8. derogatoryslangclimbingTo give unwanted advice.
9. NigeriaTo shower guests dancing at a function with money.

   Politicians have been known to spray crowds with cash. There is a cottage industry of vendors offering fresh banknotes to partygoers looking to spray their hosts.

   2025 May 31, Aanu Adeoye, “Nigeria cracks down on ‘spraying’ cash”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 6

   1 more example

   “If a celebrator is dancing and you spray him/her, you may go to jail from the party venue because the law enforcement agents will be there, waiting to arrest you.

   2019, “Nigeria’s money-spraying culture: A national embarassment?^([sic])”, in Apa News, archived from the original on 06 Apr 2024

plural sprays

1. countableA small branch of flowers or berries.

   The bridesmaid carried a spray of lily-of-the-valley.

   2 more examples

   O Nightingale, that on yon bloomy ſpray / Warbleſt at eve, when all the woods are ſtill, / Thou with freſh hope the lover’s heart doſt fill, / While the jolly hours lead on propitious May.

   a. 1674, John Milton, “To the Nightingale”, in Paradise Regain’d, Birmingham: J. and R. Tonson and S. Draper, published 1752, page 506

   The painted Birds, Companions of the Spring, / Hopping from Spray to Spray, were heard to ſing ; / Both Eyes and Ears receiv’d a like Delight, / Enchanting Muſick, and a charming Sight.

   1700, [John] Dryden, “The Flower and the Leaf: Or, The Lady in the Arbour. A Vision.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 385

   Synonyms: sprig

2. countableA collective body of small branches.

   The tree has a beautiful spray.

   2 more examples

   A blisful flour, owt of this spray schal springe ; / The fruyt þer-of schal be ful precïous ; / A causë haue [we] for to ioye & synge, / In honure of þat maidë gracïous, / That gret comfort schal cause[n] vnto vs ; / ffor now schal faste oure company encrees, / And god with man schal makë smallë pees.

   A blissful flower out will spring out of this spray; / Its fruit shall be very precious; / We have cause for joy and song, / In honour of that gracious maid, / Who will make us very comfortable; / for now our company will grow quickly, / And man will make peace with God.

   a. 1426, Thomas Hoccleve, “The recordyng of aungeles song of the Natiuite of oure lady”, in Frederick James Furnivall, editor, Hoccleve's Works, volume III (in Middle English), London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., published 1897, lines 8–14, page xlvi

   And from the Trees did lop the needless Spray;

   c. 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book VII, Canto VII

3. uncountableBranches and twigs collectively; foliage.

   Gret fur he made þer aniȝt of wode & of sprai.

   There, at night, he made a great box out of wood and spray.

   a. 1300, Robert of Gloucester, “Henricus”, in William Aldis Wright, editor, The Metrical Chronicle of Robert of Gloucester (in Middle English), London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, published 1887, part I, page 755

   2 more examples

   Troubled, 'wilder'd, and forlorn, / Dark, benighted, travel-worn, / Over many a tangled spray, / All heart-broke I heard her say

   1789, William Blake, “A Dream”, in Songs of Innocence

   The pea, being a tendrilled climber, whenever it is to be cultivated to the greatest advantage, ought to be supported by pea sticks, which are branches of trees or shrubs well furnished with spray, and of lengths suited to the height to which the plants grow.

   a. 1843, John Claudius Loudon, “Catalogue of Culinary Vegetables”, in The Suburban Horticulturalist, London: Bradbury and Evans, published 1845, page 631

4. countableobsoleteAn orchard.
5. countableAn ornament or design that resembles a branch.