Meaning & use
sprayer
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Meanings
nouncountable
A device or tool that sends out liquid in a fine mist or stream.
Grammar: Countable: one sprayer, two sprayers; often used after a noun to say what it is for, as in a paint sprayer.
Patterns
- a garden sprayer
- a paint sprayer
- use a sprayer to do something
Fill the sprayer with water and a little soap before you clean the windows.
The gardener walked along the rows with a backpack sprayer on his shoulders.
nouncountable
A person whose job is to put liquid onto plants or surfaces using this kind of equipment.
Grammar: Countable and used for people too: a sprayer works with a sprayer, so the same word covers the worker and the tool.
Patterns
- work as a sprayer
- an experienced sprayer
He worked as a sprayer on an apple farm for three summers.
The sprayers wear masks and gloves while they treat the vines.
nouncountableinformal
A container with a pump or trigger that releases a liquid in small drops, used in the home.
Grammar: Countable; in everyday speech this sense is usually called a spray bottle or just a spray.
Patterns
- a sprayer of something
- keep a sprayer handy
Keep a sprayer of water near the iron so the shirts stay damp.
She mixed the cleaner in a small sprayer and wiped the counter.
Word forms
| plural | sprayers |
|---|
Common combinations
- a garden sprayer
- A garden sprayer makes it easy to reach the back of the flower bed.
- a paint sprayer
- Rent a paint sprayer if you have a whole room to cover.
- a backpack sprayer
- The backpack sprayer holds ten liters, so he can work for hours.
- a sprayer bottle
- She poured the vinegar into a sprayer bottle for the kitchen.
- use a sprayer
- Always use a sprayer in a well-ventilated space.
- fill a sprayer
- Fill the sprayer with warm water and rinse the leaves.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spray
- Shorter and more general; it can mean the liquid, the act, or the device, while sprayer usually means the device itself.
- atomizer
- A more technical word for a device that turns liquid into a fine mist, common for perfume and medicine.
- sprinkler
- Use this for a device that waters a lawn or field with larger drops, not a handheld misting tool.
Word family
Commonly confused: sprayer or spray? sprayer or spray bottle?
sprayer vs spray
Spray can be the liquid, the action, or the device, so it is broader; sprayer almost always means the tool or the worker.
sprayer vs spray bottle
Spray bottle is the everyday term for a small handheld container; sprayer sounds more like farm, garden, or painting equipment.
Practice
Which sentence uses "sprayer" correctly?
Choose one answer.
A sprayer is the device (or the person), so it can be loaded onto a tractor. Option 2 uses it for the liquid, which should be "a spray" or "a spray bottle"; option 3 needs the verb "sprayed"; option 4 describes a smell, which is "scent" or "fragrance".
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sprayer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.