spit

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈspit 

1

: a slender pointed rod for holding meat over a fire

2

: a small point of land especially of sand or gravel running into a body of water

spit

2 of 4

verb (1)

spitted; spitting

transitive verb

: to fix on or as if on a spit : impale

spit

3 of 4

verb (2)

spit or spat ˈspat  ; spitting

transitive verb

1

a

: to eject (something) from the mouth : expectorate

b(1)

: to express (unpleasant or malicious feelings) by or as if by spitting

(2)

: to utter with a spitting sound or scornful expression

spat out his words

c

: to emit as if by spitting

especially : to emit (precipitation) in driving particles or in flurries

spit rain

2

: to set to burning

spit a fuse

intransitive verb

1

a(1)

: to eject saliva as an expression of aversion or contempt

(2)

: to exhibit contempt

b

: to eject matter (such as saliva) from the mouth : expectorate

2

: to rain or snow slightly or in flurries

3

: to make a noise suggesting expectoration : sputter

spit

4 of 4

noun (2)

1

a(1)

: spittle, saliva

(2)

: the act or an instance of spitting

b(1)

: a frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs

(2)

: spittlebug

2

: perfect likeness

3

: a sprinkle of rain or flurry of snow

Phrases

spit it out

: to say what is in the mind without further delay

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• arm
• cape
• foreland
• headland
• ness
• peninsula
• point
• promontory

Verb (1)

• gore
• harpoon
• impale
• jab
• lance
• peck
• pick
• pierce
• pink
• puncture
• run through
• skewer
• spear
• spike
• stab
• stick
• transfix
• transpierce

Noun (2)

• alter ego
• carbon
• carbon copy
• clone
• counterpart
• doppelgänger
• doppelganger
• double
• duplicate
• duplication
• facsimile
• fetch
• image
• likeness
• look-alike
• match
• mirror image
• picture
• replica
• ringer
• spitting image
• twin

Examples of spit in a Sentence

Noun (1)

at the northeast end of the island is a long spit whose terminal is crowned by a towering lighthouse

Verb (1)

according to the propaganda put out by the war ministry, enemy soldiers were spitting innocent babies on bayonets

Noun (2)

the spit and image of his father

so dry that he felt as if he had no spit left in his mouth

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Like walking into the dense Amazonian jungle and suddenly finding yourself in an open clearing, the entryway is a narrow, curving driveway that spits visitors into a cavernous inner chamber. —Dalya Benor, Travel + Leisure, 18 Dec. 2024

He was outfitted with a spit screen to prevent him from spitting on others. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024

Noun

Local candidates stopped short of trafficking in tales of pets on a spit in Springfield, but no one else seems inclined to ease up on the post-election angertainment, from Washington on down. —Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2024

Cookware This is something for the big-splashy-meal cook in your life—the king of the standing rib roast, the empress of the whole pig on a spit, the generalissimo of the hundred-person clam bake. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English spitu; akin to Old High German spiz spit, spizzi pointed

Verb (2)

Middle English spitten, from Old English spittan; akin to Middle High German spiutzen to spit

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing spit

• chew (someone) up and spit (him or her) out
• cuckoo spit
• frog spit
• spit and polish
• spit and vinegar
• spit blood/venom
• spit curl
• spit it out
• spit nails
• spit take
• spit up

Kids Definition

spit

1 of 3 noun

ˈspit 

1

: a thin pointed rod for holding meat over a fire

2

: a small point of land that runs out into a body of water

spit

2 of 3 verb

spit or spat

ˈspat

; spitting

1

a

: to cause (as saliva) to spurt from the mouth : expectorate

b

: to express by or as if by spitting : make a spitting sound

2

a

: to give off briskly : emit

b

: to rain lightly or snow in flurries

spitter noun

spit

3 of 3 noun

1

a

: saliva

b

: the act of spitting

2

: a foamy secretion produced by spittlebugs

3

: perfect likeness

the spit and image of her father

Etymology

Noun

Old English spitu "a long rod for holding meat over a fire to cook"

Verb

Old English spittan "to spit (saliva) from the mouth"

Medical Definition

spit

1 of 2 verb

ˈspit 

spit or spat ˈspat  ; spitting

transitive verb

: to eject (as saliva) from the mouth

intransitive verb

: to eject saliva from the mouth

spit

2 of 2 noun

: saliva