spit

¹ American  

[spit] / spɪt /

verb (used without object)

spit, spat, spitting

1. to eject saliva from the mouth; expectorate.

2. to express hatred, contempt, etc., by or as if by ejecting saliva from the mouth.

3. to sputter.

   grease spitting on the fire.

   Synonyms:

   spatter

4. to fall in scattered drops or flakes, as rain or snow.

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verb (used with object)

spit, spat, spitting

1. to eject from the mouth.

   The children were spitting watermelon seeds over the fence.

2. to throw out or emit like saliva.

   The kettle spits boiling water over the stove.

3. to set a flame to.

noun

1. saliva, especially when ejected.

2. the act of spitting.

3. Also called spittle.  Entomology. the frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs.

4. a light fall of rain or snow.

verb phrase

1. spit up to vomit; throw up.

   The wounded soldier spat up blood.

   If you jostle the baby, she'll spit up.

idioms

1. spit and image, exact likeness; counterpart: Also spitting image, spit 'n' image.

   Hunched over his desk, pen in hand, he was the spit and image of his father at work.

spit ² American  

[spit] / spɪt /

noun

1. a pointed rod or bar for thrusting through and holding meat that is to be cooked before or over a fire.

2. any of various rods, pins, or the like used for particular purposes.

3. a narrow point of land projecting into the water.

4. a long, narrow shoal extending from the shore.

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verb (used with object)

spitted, spitting

1. to pierce, stab, or transfix, as with a spit; impale on something sharp.

2. to thrust a spit into or through.

spit ¹ British  

/ spɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to expel saliva from the mouth; expectorate

2. informal (intr) to show disdain or hatred by spitting

3. (of a fire, hot fat, etc) to eject (fragments of coal, sparks, etc) violently and with an explosive sound; splutter

4. (intr) to rain very lightly

5. to eject or discharge (something) from the mouth

   he spat the food out

   to spit blood

6. to utter (short sharp words or syllables), esp in a violent manner

7. Also (NZ): spit tacks.  slang to be very angry

8. informal a command given to someone that he should speak forthwith

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noun

1. another name for spittle

2. a light or brief fall of rain, snow, etc

3. the act or an instance of spitting

4. informal another word for spitting image

spit ² British  

/ spɪt /

noun

1. a pointed rod on which meat is skewered and roasted before or over an open fire

2. Also called: rotisserie.   rotating spit.  a similar device rotated by electricity or clockwork, fitted onto a cooker

3. an elongated often hooked strip of sand or shingle projecting from the shore, deposited by longshore drift, and usually above water

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verb

1. (tr) to impale on or transfix with or as if with a spit

spit ³ British  

/ spɪt /

noun

1. the depth of earth cut by a spade; a spade's depth

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Other Word Forms

• spitter
  noun
• spitlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of spit¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English verb spitten, spit(te), Old English spyttan, spittan; cognate with Old Norse spýta, German (dialect) spitzen “to spit”; the noun is derivative of the verb

Origin of spit²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English spit(e), spitte, Old English spitu; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German spit, spet, Old High German spiz “spit”; akin to Old Norse spīta “wooden peg, spit”

Explanation

To spit is to propel saliva—which is also called spit—from your mouth. Generally speaking, it's rude to spit, particularly if you're at a fancy dinner party. There are some parts of the world where it's socially acceptable to spit in public, and it was once accepted in most of the West too. During the Middle Ages, Western Europeans found it less polite to "suck back" spit than to, well, spit. And spittoons, receptacles for spitting in, were common until the early 20th century, when the influenza epidemic and public health campaigns about tuberculosis greatly reduced public spitting.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spit spat spitted spitting

They say dating apps that spit out an unlimited menu of potential partners make it too easy to miss obvious red flags.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Two streetwear-dripped-out dudes on the patio of Verve Coffee nearly spit out their matchas on a recent Monday afternoon in West Hollywood, when the singer-songwriter Lacy walked up to order an iced tea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

LinkedIn is peppered with stories of job listings requiring candidates to take questionnaires or use specific words or phrases in cover letters, in order to avoid applications spit out by bots.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

One is a spit test that looks for genetic material.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

"Do you think the goats, sheep, and pony can spit this far?"

From "Pony Problems: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #3" by Carolyn Keene

Authorities from throughout Southern California have faced a spat of e-bike and e-motorcycle incidents, including a teen who led Orange County law enforcement on a chase last month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Earlier, prior to this spat emerging in public, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "The prime minister and all ministers remain in office and the normal business of government continues."

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Pentwater Capital agrees to pay Avis Budget to resolve an unusual spat where the car rental company singled out one of its major shareholders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

President Volodymyr Zelensky will skip this year's Ukraine Recovery Conference hosted in Poland, Kyiv announced Tuesday, amid a spiralling diplomatic spat between the allies and neighbours over World War II memory.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Just then, the forest spat them out at the foot of the trash mountains.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

That’s because the first preseason practice of the Kalen DeBoer era was greeted with a sudden bout of Pacific Northwest weather, as rain spitted on the turf inside Husky Stadium Thursday.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2022

Defendant Browder instead chose to plead his own case, ably belabored the technical charge on which he was spitted.

From Time Magazine Archive

The whole world is invited, as many reputations as possible are spitted and turned slowly over a sizzling fire, the fumes purposely wafted this way and that.

From Time Magazine Archive

But the King had plenty for himself, his party, and for a banquet of spitted laham-mashwy and rice pilaff for the ship's officers.

From Time Magazine Archive

He raised his head slowly, looking across at the spitted chickens revolving before the low blue rotisserie flames.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

She gets him within spitting distance of Downing Street just in time for her husband to dump her.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

Thrust into a position that was not his, Bradley had to endure the jeers of frenzied aficionados at the start of his professional career, along with spitting and tossed coins.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

A singer and guitarist who had stood within spitting distance of Mick Jagger at the Rolling Stones show, Brioso said his own band broke up when most of its members emigrated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026

In a tempestuous opening couple of minutes, St Helens' Jake Wingfield accused Brad O'Neill of spitting in his face, with referee Jack Smith putting the incident on report.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

The anger that’s inside me is boiling, spitting out words before I can even think twice.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

Related Words

• drool
• hiss
• spew
• sputter