sprinkling

sprinkle (someone or something) with (something)

To cover or coat someone or something with lots of small drops or particles of something. I sprinkled the diorama with glitter to give it a festive look. Bits of ash that had been spewed out of the volcano sprinkled onto the town below.

See also: sprinkle

sprinkle on

1. To fall on someone or something in small drops or particles. We could feel the first drops of rain starting to sprinkle down on us. Bits of ash that had been spewed out of the volcano sprinkled on the town below.

2. To disperse or scatter small drops or particles of something (onto someone or something). In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "sprinkle" and "on." I sprinkled on lots of glitter to give the diorama a festive look. The priest sprinkled holy water on the celebrants.

See also: on, sprinkle

sprinkle onto (someone or something)

1. To fall on someone or something in small drops or particles. We could feel the first drops of rain starting sprinkling onto us. Bits of ash that had been spewed out of the volcano sprinkled onto the town below.

2. To disperse or scatter small drops or particles of something (onto someone or something). In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "sprinkle" and "on." I sprinkled glitter onto the diorama to give it a festive look. The priest sprinkled holy water onto the celebrants.

See also: sprinkle

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

sprinkle something on(to) someone or something

 and sprinkle something on

to scatter or dribble something onto someone or something. The minister sprinkled the water onto the baby. The cook sprinkled on a dusting of powdered sugar.

See also: on, sprinkle

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.