sprinkles
sprinkles — noun
1. colourful sugar or chocolate fragments that bakers and cooks place onto sweet fo
colourful sugar or chocolate fragments that bakers and cooks place onto sweet foods such as cakes, cupcakes, and ice cream as a decoration.
Sofia put a handful of rainbow sprinkles on her cupcake before the icing dried.
rainbow sprinkles — different colour types
The bakery uses chocolate sprinkles on their signature donuts every morning.
chocolate sprinkles — common flavour type
For Mei's birthday, Wei decorated the cake with green and gold sprinkles.
The children giggled as they poured colourful sprinkles onto their ice cream sundaes.
Aunt Rosa bought a new jar of sprinkles to make the holiday cookies look more festive.
- jimmies
American English term, especially for chocolate sprinkles used on ice cream
- hundreds and thousands
British English term for very small round sprinkles
用法筆記
Usually used in the plural form. As an uncountable noun it is rare but possible: 'a packet of sprinkle' is less common than 'a packet of sprinkles.'
常見錯誤
2. a short period of very light rain or snow that starts and ends quickly and is no
a short period of very light rain or snow that starts and ends quickly and is not heavy at all.
We felt a few sprinkles of rain as we ran from the car to the restaurant door.
sprinkles of rain — light rain pattern
The weather forecast said there might be some sprinkles in the afternoon, but no heavy rain.
Kenji looked up and felt cold sprinkles of snow on his cheeks during the walk home.
The morning sprinkles stopped just in time for the outdoor wedding ceremony.
Those are just sprinkles — you do not need an umbrella for that little rain.
- drizzle
slightly heavier and more continuous than sprinkles
- light shower
a short period of light rain, similar in intensity
- downpour
heavy, sudden rain — the opposite in intensity
用法筆記
This sense is always plural. It describes a fall that is noticeably lighter than a 'shower' and much lighter than 'rain.' Often used to reassure someone that the precipitation is not serious.
常見錯誤
sprinkles — verb
- sprinklespresent simple I / you / we / they
- sprinkleses3rd person singular
- sprinklesing-ing form
- sprinklesedpast simple
1. to let small amounts of something — such as grains of salt, grated cheese, or dr
to let small amounts of something — such as grains of salt, grated cheese, or drops of water — fall in a light, loose way onto a surface, especially when preparing food.
Diego sprinkled some grated cheese over the pasta before putting it in the oven.
sprinkle + [food] + over + [food] — cooking pattern
The recipe says to sprinkle the top of the bread with sesame seeds before baking.
sprinkle + [surface] + with + [substance]
Olivia sprinkled a pinch of salt into the pot of boiling water for the spaghetti.
Every morning the gardener sprinkles water over the flower beds near the front gate.
Lena sprinkled cinnamon powder on her hot chocolate and stirred it with a spoon.
- scatter
more general; can be larger or heavier amounts, not necessarily in small pieces
- dust
suggests a very fine, light layer like flour or powdered sugar
- sprinkle lightly with
emphasises a small amount
文法句型
sprinkle + noun (the substance) + on/over + noun (the surface)
sprinkle + noun (the surface) + with + noun (the substance)
用法筆記
The verb can take two different object patterns. Pattern A names the substance first (sprinkle sugar on the cake). Pattern B names the surface first (sprinkle the cake with sugar). Both are equally common.
常見錯誤
2. to place or distribute a number of things at intervals across an area or through
to place or distribute a number of things at intervals across an area or throughout a space, giving the impression that the area is dotted or decorated with them.
The night sky was sprinkled with stars that shone brightly over the sleeping village.
passive: be sprinkled with + [stars/objects]
Small cafes and bookshops are sprinkled throughout the old part of the city.
The valley is sprinkled with tiny wildflowers in early spring each year.
Throughout his speech, the comedian sprinkled jokes that kept the audience laughing.
The garden path was sprinkled with small white pebbles that glittered in the sunlight.
- concentrate
to bring together in one place — opposite of scattering across
文法句型
be sprinkled with + noun (things distributed)
sprinkle + noun (things) + across/throughout + noun (area)
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive voice. The subject is typically a large area, surface, or container (the sky, the garden, the speech). This sense extends metaphorically to abstract things like jokes or references.
常見錯誤
3. to make the surface of something slightly wet or damp by applying a small amount
to make the surface of something slightly wet or damp by applying a small amount of liquid, so that it feels cool, becomes easier to handle, or stays fresh.
Before rolling out the dough, Nari sprinkled the countertop with water to stop it from sticking.
sprinkle + [surface] + with + [liquid] — dampening result
Before ironing the shirt, Tariq sprinkled it with a little water to remove the wrinkles.
Hana sprinkled her face with cool water after a long walk in the summer heat.
The baker sprinkled the pastry dough with milk to make the crust turn golden brown.
Ahmed sprinkled a few drops of lavender oil on his pillow before going to sleep.
文法句型
sprinkle + noun (object) + with + noun (liquid)
sprinkle + noun (liquid) + on + noun (object)
用法筆記
The purpose here is always to make the surface damp — to stop sticking, remove wrinkles, cool down, or help browning. If you can replace 'sprinkle' with 'scatter' without changing the meaning, you are in sense 1, not sense 3. This sense only works with thin liquids (water, milk, oil); sense 1 works with dry particles (salt, cheese, seeds) too.
4. if rain sprinkles, it falls in very light, scattered drops — not enough to get y
if rain sprinkles, it falls in very light, scattered drops — not enough to get you truly wet, but enough to notice.
It started to sprinkle just as we reached the park, so we moved under a big tree.
it + sprinkle — weather pattern
The sky stayed grey and it sprinkled on and off throughout the whole afternoon.
Is it raining hard out there? No, just sprinkling — you do not need a raincoat.
It had been sprinkling all morning, leaving the streets wet but not flooded at all.
The weather report said it would sprinkle in the evening, so Wei grabbed a small umbrella.
- pour
to rain heavily
- bucket down
informal phrase meaning to rain very hard
文法句型
it sprinkles
it is sprinkling
it sprinkled
用法筆記
Used only with the impersonal subject 'it' — the same structure as 'it rains' or 'it snows.' This describes the lightest form of rain, lighter than 'drizzle.' Cannot be used with a person as subject.