Meaning & use
backsplash
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
A panel or covering, often tile, on the wall behind a sink or stove to protect it from water and grease.
Grammar: Usually used with an or the: install a backsplash.
Patterns
- a backsplash behind something
- a tile backsplash
We chose a white tile backsplash for the kitchen.
Grease from the pan left a stain on the backsplash.
The new backsplash makes the stove area easy to clean.
noununcountablerare
The splashing of water or liquid backward or against a surface.
Grammar: Used without a: backsplash from the waves.
Patterns
- backsplash from something
Backsplash from the fountain soaked the bench.
A guard on the faucet reduces backsplash.
The rocks sent a backsplash over the deck.
Word forms
| plural | backsplashes |
|---|
Common combinations
- tile backsplash
- She picked a blue tile backsplash.
- kitchen backsplash
- A glass kitchen backsplash is easy to wipe.
- install a backsplash
- They hired a worker to install a backsplash.
- backsplash tiles
- The backsplash tiles were hand painted.
- stainless steel backsplash
- The stainless steel backsplash matched the appliances.
Synonyms and how they differ
- splashback
- Splashback is the usual British word for the same wall panel.
- wall tile
- Wall tile is a general term for any tile on a wall, not specifically the area behind a sink.
- splash guard
- Splash guard is a smaller shield attached to a sink or stove and is not decorative in the same way.
Word family
Commonly confused: backsplash or backlash?
backsplash vs backlash
A backlash is a strong negative reaction from people, while a backsplash is a wall covering in a kitchen.
Practice
Where would you normally find a backsplash?
Choose one answer.
A backsplash protects the wall behind a sink or stove from water and grease. The other places do not need protection from splashes in that way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “backsplash”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.