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Definition of spray verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

spray

verb
 
/spreɪ/
 
/spreɪ/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they spray
 
/spreɪ/
 
/spreɪ/
he / she / it sprays
 
/spreɪz/
 
/spreɪz/
past simple sprayed
 
/spreɪd/
 
/spreɪd/
past participle sprayed
 
/spreɪd/
 
/spreɪd/
-ing form spraying
 
/ˈspreɪɪŋ/
 
/ˈspreɪɪŋ/
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  1. [transitive, intransitive] to cover somebody/something with very small drops of a liquid that are forced out of a container or sent through the air
    • spray (something) (on/onto/over somebody/something) Spray the conditioner onto your wet hair.
    • Champagne sprayed everywhere.
    • spray somebody/something (with something) The crops are regularly sprayed with pesticide.
    • spray something + adj. She's had the car sprayed blue.
    Topics Farmingc1
  2. [transitive, intransitive] to cover somebody/something with a lot of small things with a lot of force
    • spray somebody/something with something The gunman sprayed the building with bullets.
    • + adv./prep. Pieces of glass sprayed all over the room.
  3. [intransitive] (especially of a male cat) to leave small amounts of urine to mark its own area
  4. Word Originverb early 17th cent. (earlier as spry): related to Middle Dutch spra(e)yen ‘sprinkle’.
See spray in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
previously
adverb
 
 
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