From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_312_bsprinklesprin‧kle1 /ˈsprɪŋkəl/ ●○○ verb 1 [transitive]POUR to scatter small drops of liquid or small pieces of somethingsprinkle something with something Sprinkle the top with cheese.sprinkle something on/over something I sprinkled cocoa over my latte.2 → be sprinkled with jokes/quotations etc3 → it is sprinkling→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sprinkle• Spoon a quarter of the peppers into the middle of each pastry round, sprinkle a little marjoram on top and season.• Reagan sprinkled his conversations with phrases from famous Americans.• Sprinkle the cheese over the beans.• Sprinkle the fish with lemon juice and herbs.• Set a cup of water on the top shelf or sprinkle the newspapers lightly with water.• Its hedged fields are sprinkled with oak trees, and apple orchards and half-timbered houses abound.• But ironically, each team is sprinkled with players poached from the other.• Sure enough, it was sprinkled with several dozen small white specks.• Their actions, setting and dialogue are sprinkled with touchstones of gay life.sprinkle something on/over something• He had sprinkled rose petals on the bed.sprinklesprinkle2 noun [singular] 1 LITTLE/NOT MUCHa small amount of something, especially scattered on top of something SYN sprinklingsprinkle of Add a sprinkle of salt.2 American EnglishHEM a light rain SYN drizzleExamples from the Corpus
sprinkle• Add a sprinkle of coconut.• When he ran his hand over it, a sprinkle of grit fell to the floor.• chocolate sprinkles• Add other ingredients, except sprinkles, and combine well.Origin sprinkle1 (1300-1400) Perhaps from Middle Dutch sprenkelen 