spit

1 of 4

noun (1)

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 How to pronounce spit (audio) ; 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)
(2)
: the act or an instance of spitting
b(1)
: a frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs
(2)
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

Examples of spit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Despite its speed, this machine spits out objects that are smooth, detailed, and free from errors. Popular Science, 29 Nov. 2023 From the early to mid 2000s, the now 24-year-old was spitting out rap verses and creating content on platforms like MySpace, YouTube and Facebook. Zoya Hasan, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 If the smart machine detects anything weird, a suspicious roast is spit out the side. Lee Powell, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 From Austin to Shanghai his plants are spitting out parts and combining components to produce his myriad product lines. Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023 YouTube's new Dream Track AI music generation tool for creators can spit out novel songs in the style of existing artists, in this case Charlie Puth. WIRED, 16 Nov. 2023 The operation’s thrumming heart beats in Building One, where machines, rotating at high speeds, spit out as many as 1,200 rifle cartridges per minute. Ben Dooley Emily Rhyne, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2023 Editor’s picks After an opening sequence set during the war — with Shea Whigham spitting his usual fire as Bass’ mean drunk of an owner, George — Lawmen keeps leaping forward in time. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2023 Her grandmother Zahra, an old crone of a woman who cruelly spits out words to demean her daughter and granddaughter with little regard for their feelings, had always forbid them. Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023
Noun
Titania is the spit of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s Codecasa superyacht Bash and acts as the backdrop for several pivotal scenes. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2023 Some of those pursuing it are just casually curious, happy to see an electronic green leaf ping to life, or to throw down some spit into the 23andMe saliva kit. Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023 Where the spit landed is important to how prosecutors could have charged the case. Agreen, oregonlive, 13 Aug. 2023 There are several perilous sequences in which animals try to hurt or chase one another, plus characters are nearly pushed out of a plane’s door or killed by a termite’s acidic spit. Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023 That would be the spit heard from around the world. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2023 Some tried and failed to turn it into a drug, most didn’t even get that far, and almost no one saw the gila monster spit coming. Megan Molteni and Elaine Chen, STAT, 30 Sep. 2023 If the giant vats of bubbling caldo de res don’t impress you, the indoor spit just might. Melissa Clark, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023 That information also automatically gets ingested into the corporate databases used to train generative AI tools and can potentially get spit back out to another person using a model trained on the same data set. Todd Feathers, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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)

Time Traveler
The first known use of spit was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near spit

Cite this Entry

“Spit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spit. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

spit

1 of 3 noun
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
spit or spat ˈspat How to pronounce spit (audio) ; spitting

transitive verb

: to eject (as saliva) from the mouth

intransitive verb

: to eject saliva from the mouth

spit

2 of 2 noun
: saliva

More from Merriam-Webster on spit

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