spawned; spawning; spawns
1
: to deposit or fertilize spawn
2
: to produce young especially in large numbers
1
a
: to produce or deposit (eggs)
—used of an aquatic animal
b
: to induce (fish) to spawn
c
: to plant with mushroom spawn
2
: bring forth, generate
the idea spawned controversy
spawner
noun
Synonyms
Examples of spawn in a Sentence
Verb
The health-food craze spawned a multimillion-dollar industry.
the incident that spawned a generation of student protests
a TV show that spawned a host of imitations
Noun
Pacific salmon return to Alaskan streams to deposit their spawn.
sometimes I think those little brats are the spawn of Satan himself
Recent Examples on the Web
USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
The Texan trio Khruangbin’s vibes have spawned countless imitators, but their magic isn’t so easy to replicate.
—Charles Homans Robert Petkoff Anna Diamond Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2024
The male stripper movies have also spawned a live Las Vegas stage show and a reality series.
—Linda Marx, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
All told, American Idiot snagged six Grammy nominations (winning Best Rock Album), was certified six-times platinum by the RIAA, and launched a 17-month world tour that spawned the live album Bullet in a Bible.
—Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2024
The series, from creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, has aired 26 seasons on Comedy Central and spawned a 1999 theatrical feature, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
Henry Ford’s affordable motor car spawned a million pop songs.
—Julia Hobsbawm, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Since its release in 1995, the strategy game about collecting resources such as lumber, ore and grain, and using them to build empires has spawned numerous expansions and alternate versions.
—Saira Mueller, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Monticello boasted celebrity charter members including Jerry Seinfeld and NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon, and its success spawned a host of competitors.
—Sam Smith, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2024
Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024
Why: Miller says that all the snook will ultimately make their way to inlets to stage before running the beaches to spawn.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024
Read Next California Rare sunflower sea stars spawn at California aquarium.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2024
In the fall, adult kokanee turn bright red and journey up small inlet streams to spawn.
—Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
Top tip: The migration also coincides with the Sardine Run, between May and July, where the sardines spawn in the South African waters, attracting super-pods of whales and dolphins, diving birds and even sharks.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Jan. 2024
That opportunity would be multiplied if the new spot bitcoin ETFs begin to spawn variants, says Tejpaul.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2024
Volunteers may also see biologists and researchers capturing, measuring, weighing and tagging sturgeon when the sturgeon spawn run is active.
—Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2024
The game also is credited with helping spawn baseball’s sabermetrics movement because of the way statistics on Strat player cards can be evaluated.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
Verb
Copycat school shootings after Columbine Columbine also spawned something more insidious: copycats.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
The Texan trio Khruangbin’s vibes have spawned countless imitators, but their magic isn’t so easy to replicate.
—Charles Homans Robert Petkoff Anna Diamond Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2024
The male stripper movies have also spawned a live Las Vegas stage show and a reality series.
—Linda Marx, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
All told, American Idiot snagged six Grammy nominations (winning Best Rock Album), was certified six-times platinum by the RIAA, and launched a 17-month world tour that spawned the live album Bullet in a Bible.
—Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2024
The series, from creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, has aired 26 seasons on Comedy Central and spawned a 1999 theatrical feature, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
Henry Ford’s affordable motor car spawned a million pop songs.
—Julia Hobsbawm, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Since its release in 1995, the strategy game about collecting resources such as lumber, ore and grain, and using them to build empires has spawned numerous expansions and alternate versions.
—Saira Mueller, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Monticello boasted celebrity charter members including Jerry Seinfeld and NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon, and its success spawned a host of competitors.
—Sam Smith, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2024
Noun
The pedigree that one of Starck's characters creates for the monster allows readers to see him as something legendary and much older than the spawn of an online forum.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024
Why: Miller says that all the snook will ultimately make their way to inlets to stage before running the beaches to spawn.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024
Read Next California Rare sunflower sea stars spawn at California aquarium.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2024
In the fall, adult kokanee turn bright red and journey up small inlet streams to spawn.
—Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
Top tip: The migration also coincides with the Sardine Run, between May and July, where the sardines spawn in the South African waters, attracting super-pods of whales and dolphins, diving birds and even sharks.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Jan. 2024
That opportunity would be multiplied if the new spot bitcoin ETFs begin to spawn variants, says Tejpaul.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2024
Volunteers may also see biologists and researchers capturing, measuring, weighing and tagging sturgeon when the sturgeon spawn run is active.
—Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2024
The game also is credited with helping spawn baseball’s sabermetrics movement because of the way statistics on Strat player cards can be evaluated.
—Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spawn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spawn
Cite this Entry
“Spawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spawn. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spawn
1 of 2 verb
ˈspȯn 
ˈspän
1
: to deposit or fertilize eggs
fish swimming upstream to spawn
2
: to produce young especially in large numbers
3
spawner
noun
spawn
2 of 2 noun1
: the eggs of aquatic animals (as fishes or oysters) that lay many small eggs
2
: product sense 2, offspring
also
: something produced in large quantities
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