Standard Lemma guide

sprinkler

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈspɹiŋklɚ/
  • CMU ARPABET: S P R IH1 NG K L ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: S P R IH1 NG K AH0 L ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Anything that sprinkles.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An irrigation device that sprays water into the air whilst moving back and forth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A heat-activated device that sprays water in the event of a fire, usually mounted on a ceiling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fire sprinkler, sprinkler head

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A dance move in which the dancer places one hand on the head behind the ear, with elbow bent, stretches the other arm forwards and mimics the motions of an irrigation sprinkler with a rotary head.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: preceded by definite article

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To fit with automatic sprinklers for fire prevention.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

mechanical device that attaches to a garden hose for watering lawn or garden

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mechanical device

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English sprinkle Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English sprinkler From sprinkle + -er.

Across languages

Translations

74 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bashkir: һиптергес (hipterges) — anything that sprinkles
  • Bulgarian: пръскачка (prǎskačka) — anything that sprinkles
  • Chinese Mandarin: 灑水器 /洒水器 (sǎshuǐqì) — anything that sprinkles
  • Georgian: წყალგამშხეფი (c̣q̇algamšxepi) — anything that sprinkles
  • Georgian: წყალგამფრქვევი (c̣q̇algamprkvevi) — anything that sprinkles
  • Georgian: სპრინკლერი (sṗrinḳleri) — anything that sprinkles
  • Hebrew: ממטרה (mamtéra) — anything that sprinkles
  • Hungarian: permetező — anything that sprinkles
  • Italian: spruzzatore — anything that sprinkles
  • Japanese: スプリンクラー (supurinkurā) — anything that sprinkles
  • Korean: 스프링클러 (seupeuringkeulleo) — anything that sprinkles
  • Russian: разбры́згиватель (razbrýzgivatelʹ) — anything that sprinkles
  • Russian: опры́скиватель (oprýskivatelʹ) — anything that sprinkles
  • Russian: пульвериза́тор (pulʹverizátor) — anything that sprinkles
  • Russian: спри́нклер (sprínkler) — anything that sprinkles
  • Bulgarian: дъждовална машина (dǎždovalna mašina) — irrigation device
  • Catalan: ruixador — irrigation device
  • Catalan: arruixador — irrigation device
  • Catalan: aspersor — irrigation device
  • Chinese Mandarin: 噴灑裝置 /喷洒装置 (pēnsǎ zhuāngzhì) — irrigation device
  • Chinese Mandarin: 噴灌器 /喷灌器 (pēnguànqì) — irrigation device
  • Chinese Mandarin: 灑水器 /洒水器 (sǎshuǐqì) — irrigation device
  • Finnish: sadettaja — irrigation device
  • Finnish: sadetin — irrigation device
  • French: arroseur — irrigation device
  • French: asperseur — irrigation device
  • Galician: aspersor — irrigation device
  • Georgian: წყალგამშხეფი (c̣q̇algamšxepi) — irrigation device
  • German: Sprinkler — irrigation device
  • German: Sprinkleranlage — irrigation device
  • Hungarian: locsoló — irrigation device
  • Irish: aisréadóir — irrigation device
  • Irish: spréire — irrigation device
  • Japanese: スプリンクラー (supurinkurā) — irrigation device
  • Macedonian: пр́скалка (pŕskalka) — irrigation device
  • Norwegian Bokmål: spreder — irrigation device
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: spreiar — irrigation device
  • Polish: zraszacz — irrigation device
  • Portuguese: aspersor — irrigation device
  • Russian: разбры́згиватель (razbrýzgivatelʹ) — irrigation device
  • Russian: опры́скиватель (oprýskivatelʹ) — irrigation device
  • Russian: дождева́льная устано́вка (doždeválʹnaja ustanóvka) — irrigation device
  • Russian: спри́нклер (sprínkler) — irrigation device
  • Spanish: aspersor — irrigation device
  • Spanish: aspersor de irrigación — irrigation device
  • Swedish: vattenspridare — irrigation device
  • Swedish: sprinkler — irrigation device
  • Turkish: fıskiye — irrigation device
  • Walloon: stritchete — irrigation device
  • Walloon: spritchoûle — irrigation device
  • Bulgarian: противопожарен душ (protivopožaren duš) — fire sprinkler
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自動噴水滅火裝置 /自动喷水灭火装置 (zìdòng pēnshuǐ mièhuǒ zhuāngzhì) — fire sprinkler
  • Finnish: sprinkleri — fire sprinkler
  • French: gicleur d'incendie — fire sprinkler
  • French: sprinkleur — fire sprinkler
  • Georgian: სპრინკლერი (sṗrinḳleri) — fire sprinkler
  • Georgian: წყალგამფრქვევი (c̣q̇algamprkvevi) — fire sprinkler
  • Georgian: წყლის გამფრქვევი (c̣q̇lis gamprkvevi) — fire sprinkler
  • German: Feuerlöschanlage — fire sprinkler
  • Greek: καταιονητήρας (kataionitíras) — fire sprinkler
  • Greek: καταιωνιστήρας (kataionistíras) — fire sprinkler
  • Hungarian: automata tűzoltókészülék — fire sprinkler
  • Irish: spréire uisce — fire sprinkler
  • Macedonian: противпожарна прскалка (protivpožarna prskalka) — fire sprinkler
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sprinkler — fire sprinkler
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sprinklar — fire sprinkler
  • Polish: tryskacz — fire sprinkler
  • Russian: противопожа́рный спри́нклер (protivopožárnyj sprínkler) — fire sprinkler
  • Spanish: rociador — fire sprinkler
  • Spanish: rociador automático — fire sprinkler
  • Spanish: rociador contraincendio — fire sprinkler
  • Spanish: aspersor antiincendios — fire sprinkler
  • Swedish: sprinkler — fire sprinkler
  • Turkish: fıskiye — fire sprinkler
Real reading context

sprinkler in complete knowledge articles