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 or spat
ˈspat 
; spitting
; spitting
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
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
1
b(1)
: a frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs
(2)
2
: perfect likeness
3
: a sprinkle of rain or flurry of snow
Synonyms
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
Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
The tornado had ripped off the roof of one house before spitting it back out onto the street.
—CBS News, 7 May 2024
The camera captured him spitting a mouthful of seeds, then turning away.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 6 May 2024
When doing so, spit any blood that's entered your mouth into a bowl or sink and don't expect bleeding to completely stop immediately.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024
Alvarez was arrested on domestic violence charges in 2016 after Fernandez filed a domestic battery charge against him, accusing the former police director of grabbing and shaking her, pinning her against a wall and spitting on her.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 1 May 2024
But late last year, four co-authors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley shared a new algorithm that can spit out the Hamiltonian of any quantum system at any constant temperature.
—Quanta Magazine, 1 May 2024
That said, the algorithm sometimes spits out levels featuring annoying obstacles that hamper exploration; obstacles that a human designer would likely correct.
—PCMAG, 30 Apr. 2024
The chatbot spitted out habits, broken down into time chunks: morning, work hours, evening, and night, along with a daily challenge to add some variety to my day.
—Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
Marc Silver, NPR, 10 May 2024
By Belinda Luscombe May 2, 2024 8:10 AM EDT
Scientists never used to give a spit about saliva.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 2 May 2024
What to order: The Wagyu beef shawarma, slow-cooked on a vertical spit, is the best protein option on the menu.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
And while the sides — pans of mac and cheese, creamed spinach, and mashed potatoes — sit on a heated rack behind the counter, the only things that move are eight plump chickens, rotating on a spit.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
For an example look to the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert, who arrived in the same draft, was taken one spit lower and also has made one Pro Bowl.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
On Kingman Island, a 40-acre spit of land in the Anacostia River, environmental protection specialist Lee Cain stands in front of a pile of wooden debris.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
Book the private loungers in the tiny spit below the basement, which sit on their own cove, and don’t leave without trying the spaghettoni al pomodoro, tomato pasta perfection.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
Barr told the Washington Post that the crotch grab and spit were a mocking of habits of baseball players.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
Jahan said she was spit at during a Seder table last month.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
The tornado had ripped off the roof of one house before spitting it back out onto the street.
—CBS News, 7 May 2024
The camera captured him spitting a mouthful of seeds, then turning away.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 6 May 2024
When doing so, spit any blood that's entered your mouth into a bowl or sink and don't expect bleeding to completely stop immediately.
—Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024
Alvarez was arrested on domestic violence charges in 2016 after Fernandez filed a domestic battery charge against him, accusing the former police director of grabbing and shaking her, pinning her against a wall and spitting on her.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 1 May 2024
But late last year, four co-authors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley shared a new algorithm that can spit out the Hamiltonian of any quantum system at any constant temperature.
—Quanta Magazine, 1 May 2024
That said, the algorithm sometimes spits out levels featuring annoying obstacles that hamper exploration; obstacles that a human designer would likely correct.
—PCMAG, 30 Apr. 2024
The chatbot spitted out habits, broken down into time chunks: morning, work hours, evening, and night, along with a daily challenge to add some variety to my day.
—Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
Noun
Then the bug bites, releasing its infectious – and potentially deadly — spit.
—Marc Silver, NPR, 10 May 2024
By Belinda Luscombe May 2, 2024 8:10 AM EDT
Scientists never used to give a spit about saliva.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 2 May 2024
What to order: The Wagyu beef shawarma, slow-cooked on a vertical spit, is the best protein option on the menu.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
And while the sides — pans of mac and cheese, creamed spinach, and mashed potatoes — sit on a heated rack behind the counter, the only things that move are eight plump chickens, rotating on a spit.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
For an example look to the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert, who arrived in the same draft, was taken one spit lower and also has made one Pro Bowl.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
On Kingman Island, a 40-acre spit of land in the Anacostia River, environmental protection specialist Lee Cain stands in front of a pile of wooden debris.
—Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
Book the private loungers in the tiny spit below the basement, which sit on their own cove, and don’t leave without trying the spaghettoni al pomodoro, tomato pasta perfection.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
Barr told the Washington Post that the crotch grab and spit were a mocking of habits of baseball players.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near spit
Cite this Entry
“Spit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spit. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spit
1 of 3 noun1
: 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 noun1
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"
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