splash
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to make water or another liquid fly around in many directions.
v.to cause a liquid to scatter or fly about in drops, often by hitting its surface.
Simple“The children love to splash each other in the swimming pool.”
In context“The heavy rain splashed against the windowpane, making it difficult to see the streetlights outside.”
Usagecan be used with or without a direct object.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to show a story or picture in a very noticeable way, like on the front page of a newspaper.
v.to display or publicize a story, image, or piece of information prominently to attract maximum attention.
Simple“The news of their wedding was splashed across every magazine.”
In context“The marketing team decided to splash the new campaign imagery across digital billboards throughout the city centre.”
Usageoften used in the passive voice with 'across' or 'over'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to spend a lot of money on something, usually for fun or luxury.
v.to spend a significant amount of money freely or ostentatiously.
Simple“He decided to splash out on a fancy dinner to celebrate his promotion.”
In context“After receiving her bonus, she splashed out on a designer handbag she had been eyeing for months.”
Usageusually followed by the preposition 'out' and then 'on'.
Teacher's tipThis is very common in British English as the phrasal verb 'splash out'.
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.the sound of something hitting water, or the liquid that flies up.
n.the sound made by an object hitting a liquid, or the resulting spray of that liquid.
Simple“We heard a loud splash when the dog jumped into the lake.”
In context“The diver entered the water with barely a splash, earning high marks from the judges for her technical precision.”
Synonymsplopspray - 05 B1 Intermediate
n.a small amount of liquid or color added to something.
n.a small quantity of liquid, or a small but noticeable patch of color.
Simple“She likes a splash of milk in her tea.”
In context“The artist added a splash of bright red to the corner of the canvas to create a focal point.”
- 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.doing something that gets a lot of attention and interest.
n.a striking or prominent effect that attracts widespread attention.
Simple“The new electric car made a big splash at the auto show.”
In context“The young director made a significant splash with her debut film, which won several awards at the international festival.”
Usagecommonly used in the phrase 'make a splash'.
- 07 C1 Advanced
n.the first image you see while a computer program is loading.
n.an initial screen or image displayed while a software application is loading.
Simple“The app's splash screen features a minimalist logo on a white background.”
In context“Developers often use the splash screen to perform background initialization tasks while providing visual feedback to the user.”
Synonymssplash screenloading screen
Probably an alteration of plash (compare spatter, spill for the initial s-).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.