spoon
Americannoun
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a utensil for use in eating, stirring, measuring, ladling, etc., consisting of a small, shallow bowl with a handle.
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any of various implements, objects, or parts resembling or suggesting this.
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a spoonful.
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Also called spoon bait. Angling. a lure used in casting or trolling for fish, consisting of a bright spoon-shaped piece of metal or the like, swiveled above one or more fishhooks, and revolving as it is drawn through the water.
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Also called number three wood. Golf. a club with a wooden head whose face has a greater slope than the brassie or driver, for hitting long, high drives from the fairway.
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a curved piece projecting from the top of a torpedo tube to guide the torpedo horizontally and prevent it from striking the side of the ship from which it was fired.
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(inspoon theory ) a unit of energy that, once used, must be replenished before becoming available again.
verb (used with object)
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to eat with, take up, or transfer in or as in a spoon.
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to hollow out or shape like a spoon.
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Games.
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to push or shove (a ball) with a lifting motion instead of striking it soundly, as in croquet or golf.
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to hit (a ball) up in the air, as in cricket.
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Informal. to nestle in close contact with (another), as when both are lying on their sides with their knees drawn up, the back of one person tucked into the front of the other like the bowls of two spoons.
He moved over and spooned her, pressing himself gently against her warm back as she slept.
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Informal: Older Use. to show affection or love toward (someone) by kissing and caressing, especially in an openly sentimental manner.
verb (used without object)
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Informal. (of two people) to nestle in close contact with one another, as when both are lying on their sides with their knees drawn up, the back of one person tucked into the front of the other like the bowls of two spoons.
They spooned without shifting position the whole night through.
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Informal: Older Use. to show affection or love by kissing and caressing, especially in an openly sentimental manner.
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Games. to spoon a ball.
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Angling. to fish with a spoon.
idioms
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born with a silver spoon in one's mouth, born into a wealthy family; having an inherited fortune.
She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and never worked a day in her life.
noun
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a metal, wooden, or plastic utensil having a shallow concave part, usually elliptical in shape, attached to a handle, used in eating or serving food, stirring, etc
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Also called: spoonbait. an angling lure for spinning or trolling, consisting of a bright piece of metal which swivels on a trace to which are attached a hook or hooks
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golf a former name for a No. 3 wood
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informal a foolish or useless person
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another name for booby prize
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rowing a type of oar blade that is curved at the edges and tip to gain a firm grip on the water Compare spade 1
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to inherit wealth or social standing
verb
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(tr) to scoop up or transfer (food, liquid, etc) from one container to another with or as if with a spoon
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slang (intr) to kiss and cuddle
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to hollow out (a cavity or spoon-shaped bowl) (in something)
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sport to hit (a ball) with a weak lifting motion, as in golf, cricket, etc
Other Word Forms
- spoonless adjective
- spoonlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of spoon
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English spōn; cognate with Low German spon, German Span “chip,” Old Norse spōnn; akin to Greek sphḗn “wedge”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The finished sauce should ribbon off a spoon in a soft cascade.
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
Wales, who look set to finish with the annual rugby contest's wooden spoon having lost all four games in the tournament so far, are looking for a first home victory against Italy since 2020.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
As we speak, he gamely spoons chicken noodle soup into his mouth with a plastic spoon.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
The soup is only considered successful if a spoon can stand completely upright when placed inside the pot -- giving a new meaning to the phrase "stiff competition".
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
My fear spikes so hard I can barely hold the spoon.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
