sprinkle

UK: /ˈsprɪŋk^əl/ US: /ˈsprɪŋkəl/ ,(spring′kəl)

Inflections of 'sprinkle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

sprinkles

v 3rd person singular

sprinkling

v pres p

sprinkled

v past

sprinkled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

sprin•kle /ˈsprɪŋkəl/   v., -kled, -kling, n. 
v. 

1. to scatter in drops or particles: [~ + object]
   sprinkling water on the flowers.
   [no object* (~ + down)]
   The water sprinkled down on the flowers.
2. to scatter drops or particles of water, powder, or the like on (something):
   [~ + object] to sprinkle a lawn.
3. Meteorology to rain slightly in scattered drops:
   [no object* it + ~] It's sprinkling a little.
4. to scatter or distribute (something) in different places or at various times:
   [~ + object] He sprinkled a few jokes into his speech.

n. [countable]

5. an act or instance of sprinkling.
6. Meteorology a light rain.

sprin•kler, n. 

[countable] An automatic sprinkler comes on when there's a fire.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sprin•kle  (spring′kəl), v., -kled, -kling, n. 
v.t. 

1. to scatter (a liquid, powder, etc.) in drops or particles:
   She sprinkled powder on the baby.
2. to disperse or distribute here and there.
3. to overspread with drops or particles of water, powder, or the like:
   to sprinkle a lawn.
4. to diversify or intersperse with objects scattered here and there.

v.i. 

5. to scatter or disperse liquid, a powder, etc., in drops or particles.
6. to be sprinkled.
7. Meteorology to rain slightly (often used impersonally with it as subject):
   It may sprinkle this evening.

n. 

8. the act or an instance of sprinkling.
9. something used for sprinkling.
10. Food Usually, sprinkles. small particles of chocolate, candy, sugar, etc., used as a decorative topping for cookies, cakes, ice-cream cones, and the like.
11. Meteorology a light rain.
12. a small quantity or number.

• 1350–1400; Middle English sprenklen (verb, verbal); cognate with Dutch sprenkelen, German sprenkeln; akin to Old English sprengan to sprinkle, make (something) spring, scatter, causative of springan to spring

Synonyms

• 1. distribute, rain.
  Sprinkle, scatter, strew mean to fling, spread, or disperse. To sprinkle means to fling about small drops or particles:
  to sprinkle water on clothes, powder on plants.
  To scatter is to disperse or spread widely:
  to scatter seeds.
  To strew is to scatter, esp. in such a way as to cover or partially cover a surface:
  to strew flowers on a grave.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sprinkle / ˈsprɪŋk^əl/ verb

1. to scatter (liquid, powder, etc) in tiny particles or droplets over (something)
2. (transitive) to distribute over (something): the field was sprinkled with flowers
3. (intransitive) to drizzle slightly

noun

1. the act or an instance of sprinkling or a quantity that is sprinkled
2. a slight drizzle

Etymology: 14th Century: probably from Middle Dutch sprenkelen; related to Old English spearca spark¹