as in stabbing
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
according to the propaganda put out by the war ministry, enemy soldiers were spitting innocent babies on bayonets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spitting
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
There’s one climactic moment involving spitting when the staging undermines the action.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Everyone tries spitting fire, including Alesia, who loves it, and Daisy, who hates it.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The words feel heavy and unnatural when O'Neal repeats them back to the doctor, like trying to blow a bubble and spitting out rocks instead.
—Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Anna Frenza wakes up suddenly, suffocating from smoke and spitting ash.
—Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Among the tasks the crew tackles upon waking up each day is spitting into a tube.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
The Portuguese princess who could go from spitting 16s with Swollen Members to dropping ‘Maneater’ and ‘Promiscuous’ with Timbaland.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2026
Because who wouldn’t want to join a religion seemingly spitting out beautiful women?
—Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
When John begins spitting out his food, his mother, Heather (Shirley Henderson), worn down by exhaustion and anger, banishes him from the dinner table—the first in an unceasing series of maternal rejections.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
There’s one climactic moment involving spitting when the staging undermines the action.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Everyone tries spitting fire, including Alesia, who loves it, and Daisy, who hates it.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The words feel heavy and unnatural when O'Neal repeats them back to the doctor, like trying to blow a bubble and spitting out rocks instead.
—Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Anna Frenza wakes up suddenly, suffocating from smoke and spitting ash.
—Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Among the tasks the crew tackles upon waking up each day is spitting into a tube.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
The Portuguese princess who could go from spitting 16s with Swollen Members to dropping ‘Maneater’ and ‘Promiscuous’ with Timbaland.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2026
Because who wouldn’t want to join a religion seemingly spitting out beautiful women?
—Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spitting
Verb
-
Police were called to the area by witnesses who reported a woman was actively stabbing a man.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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Delisle pleaded guilty to stabbing his father in April 2025 and lighting the family’s mobile home on fire in the 1000 block of 3rd Street North, according to a judgment of conviction.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For a piece in this week’s issue, Dhruv Khullar, a practicing physician and a contributing writer, investigated this growing industry, speaking to the doctors who are tinkering with compounds and the users gamely jabbing themselves in a quest for self-optimization.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
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Where their debut roars, jabbing with hooks, Two Wheels Move the Soul instead inverts the noise until the sound becomes pillowy and comforting.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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There have been several incarnations since, all with shapeshifting powers that transform their drippy clay body structures; all have been adversaries of Batman.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Austin had a particularly itchy and drippy cedar fever season to start the year.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With the Chicago Bears picking toward the end of the first round for the first time in years, their NFL draft scenarios are numerous.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
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When picking an airplane drink, water is the only one that actually solves a problem.—
Jill Robbins,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In Famesick, Dunham says Driver would habitually yell on set, once even throwing a chair against the wall next to her and puncturing the wall of his trailer with a fist.—
Anna Zucca,
Vanity Fair,
15 Apr. 2026
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The tactic has become more popular with smugglers as police on the beaches try to thwart crossings by puncturing the rafts that groups of migrants have to inflate and carry to the water.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s something so edgy and industrial about this set, which pairs silver chrome accent nails with black cutout tips, stripes, and misty gray polish.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
10 Apr. 2026
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To the left of Castor and Pollux lies the constellation Cancer, the crab, the core of which plays host to the 100-strong stellar population of the Beehive Cluster (M44), which is visible as a small, misty patch of light on moonless nights.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Alysa Liu captivated the 2026 Winter Olympics stage with fearless self-expression, flipping the script on figure skating style with her frenulum piercing and halo hair.—
Brittany Talarico,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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In the video, user Jogatina uses a combination of skills to stab their way upwards, eventually piercing the cloud cover and revealing a breathtaking blanket of stars, complete with constellations and other galaxies.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Members picketed outside the shipyard Monday in cold and drizzly weather.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The trench doubles as a raincoat and features a detachable hood to keep your hair safe and sound on drizzly days.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spitting. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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