sprinkle
1 of 2verb
sprin·kle ˈspriŋ-kəl 
sprinkled; sprinkling ˈspriŋ-k(ə-)liŋ
transitive verb
1
: to scatter in drops or particles
2
a
: to scatter over
b
: to scatter at intervals in or among : dot
sprinkled the speech with quips
c
: to wet lightly
intransitive verb
1
: to scatter a liquid in fine drops
2
: to rain lightly in scattered drops
sprinkler
ˈspriŋ-k(ə-)lər
noun sprinkle
2 of 2noun
1
: the act or an instance of sprinkling
especially : a light rain
2
: sprinkling
3
sprinkles plural : small particles of candy used as a topping (as on ice cream) : jimmies
Synonyms
Verb
- bestrew
- dot
- pepper
- scatter
- sow
- spot
- spray
- strew
Noun
- drizzle
- mist
- mizzle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb He sprinkled water on the plants. I sprinkled grass seed over the soil. She sprinkled the clothes before ironing them. “Is it raining?” “It's just sprinkling a little.” Noun It rained last night, but it was just a sprinkle. She topped the pasta with a sprinkle of parsley. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
BostonGlobe.com, 9 Nov. 2021 Spread the avocado on one piece of toast, sprinkle with the juice of the lemon and season well with salt and pepper. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 6 May 2021 Spread tortillas with mustards and sprinkle with cornichons. Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, 31 Mar. 2020 Grip it with both hands and use the long (and detachable) rotating spout to either sprinkle water on your plant babies, or do column watering. Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 24 Aug. 2022 Add nuts to your salad, sprinkle some over Greek yogurt, or eat them whole. Melissa Matthews, Men's Health, 24 Aug. 2022 Tear the basil leaves into pieces and sprinkle on top of the tomatoes, reserving some for garnish, if desired. Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 Slice your ripe avocado in half, remove the seed, and brush the flesh with some oil and sprinkle on a bit of salt. Matthew Kadey, Outside Online, 18 Aug. 2022 Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle almonds on top. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 9 Aug. 2022 Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2022 If the salad is dull, add a sprinkle of salt and some lemon juice and toss. San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 And a sprinkle of defensive letdowns — with costly results. Andy Kostka, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2022 An afternoon sprinkle or quick shower is also possible. Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2022 Best served with a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar and fruit, in this case sauteed apples. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 15 Aug. 2022 Portland will start the day cool and cloudy Thursday and even have a slight chance of a sprinkle or two, especially north of the city. oregonlive, 4 Aug. 2022 With a sprinkle of salt on a wedge to balance the intense sweetness, that watermelon was better than any Gatorade drink could strive to be. Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2022 There is a small chance of a sprinkle Monday, but the middle of next week is looking particularly nice with a run back to 70 degrees. BostonGlobe.com, 15 Oct. 2021 See More
Verb
Spread the top with toasted almonds and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. BostonGlobe.com, 9 Nov. 2021 Spread the avocado on one piece of toast, sprinkle with the juice of the lemon and season well with salt and pepper. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 6 May 2021 Spread tortillas with mustards and sprinkle with cornichons. Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, 31 Mar. 2020 Grip it with both hands and use the long (and detachable) rotating spout to either sprinkle water on your plant babies, or do column watering. Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 24 Aug. 2022 Add nuts to your salad, sprinkle some over Greek yogurt, or eat them whole. Melissa Matthews, Men's Health, 24 Aug. 2022 Tear the basil leaves into pieces and sprinkle on top of the tomatoes, reserving some for garnish, if desired. Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 Slice your ripe avocado in half, remove the seed, and brush the flesh with some oil and sprinkle on a bit of salt. Matthew Kadey, Outside Online, 18 Aug. 2022 Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle almonds on top. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 9 Aug. 2022 Noun
Add a sprinkle of fresh chives before setting them out on your Easter buffet. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2022 If the salad is dull, add a sprinkle of salt and some lemon juice and toss. San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 And a sprinkle of defensive letdowns — with costly results. Andy Kostka, Baltimore Sun, 9 May 2022 An afternoon sprinkle or quick shower is also possible. Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2022 Best served with a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar and fruit, in this case sauteed apples. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 15 Aug. 2022 Portland will start the day cool and cloudy Thursday and even have a slight chance of a sprinkle or two, especially north of the city. oregonlive, 4 Aug. 2022 With a sprinkle of salt on a wedge to balance the intense sweetness, that watermelon was better than any Gatorade drink could strive to be. Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2022 There is a small chance of a sprinkle Monday, but the middle of next week is looking particularly nice with a run back to 70 degrees. BostonGlobe.com, 15 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English sprenklen, sprinclen; akin to Middle High German spreckel, sprenkel spot
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
1575, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Kids Definition
sprinkle 1 of 2
verb
sprin·kle ˈspriŋ-kəl
sprinkled; sprinkling
1
: to scatter in drops or particles
sprinkle water
sprinkle sand
2
: to scatter over or in or among
Sprinkle the corn with salt.
3
: to rain lightly
sprinkle
2 of 2noun
1
: a light rain
2
: sprinkling
Legal Definition
sprinkle
transitive verb
sprin·kle
sprinkled; sprinkling
: spray
sprinkles 1 of 2
noun
1
as in drizzles
a light or fine rain decided it was not worth carrying an umbrella for just a sprinkle Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- drizzles
- rainfalls
- precipitations
- showers
- mists
- mizzles
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- downpours
- storms
- thunderstorms
- cloudbursts
- rainstorms
- deluges
- monsoons
2
as in handfuls
a small number received only a sprinkle of suggestions for the name of the school mascot Synonyms & Similar Words
- handfuls
- couples
- sprinklings
- scatters
- fews
- smatterings
- scatterings
- handsful
- smatters
- minorities
- fragments
- molecules
- atoms
- jots
- shreds
- particles
- grains
- whits
- iotas
- crumbs
- scraps
- modicums
- tittles
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- loads
- mountains
- thousands
- many
- oodles
- multitudes
- hordes
- armies
- crowds
- scads
- flocks
- hosts
- legions
- zillions
- gazillions
- piles
- quantities
- gobs
- excesses
- abundances
- majorities
- masses
- lots
- surpluses
- heaps
- jillions
- pots
- stacks
- kazillions
- pecks
- rafts
- reams
- wads
- slathers
- deals
- mosts
- profusions
- plenties
- much
- plenties
- wealths
- plenitudes
- slews
sprinkles
2 of 2verb
1
as in sprays
to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on sprinkle the newly seeded lawn with water Synonyms & Similar Words
- sprays
- dots
- peppers
- strews
- dusts
- drizzles
- spots
- scatters
- flecks
- bestrews
- speckles
- studs
- sows
- dapples
- blankets
- stipples
- spatters
- bespatters
2
as in dots
to mark with small spots especially unevenly sprinkled the cake with bits of coconut Synonyms & Similar Words
- dots
- flecks
- speckles
- peppers
- specks
- stains
- dyes
- splotches
- spots
- freckles
- marbles
- blotches
- mottles
- stripes
- dapples
- stipples
- streaks
- blots
- bars
- shoots
- studs
- bands
- spatters
- intersperses
- sets
- bespatters