What's Trending Now
More Trending Words
wooden spoon
noun
Definition of wooden spoon
1 : a spoon made of wood presented originally at Cambridge University to the man ranking lowest among those taking honors in the mathematical tripos and at other colleges and universities to other selected recipients
2 : the recipient of a wooden spoon
Read the Latest from M-W
There's more!
Love words? You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.
Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:
- More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
- Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
- Advanced search features
- Ad free!
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up wooden spoon? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!