spud

American  

[spuhd] / spʌd /

noun

1. Informal. a potato.

2. a spadelike instrument, especially one with a narrow blade, as for digging up or cutting the roots of weeds.

3. a chisel-like tool for removing bark.

4. a pointed leg or stake for staying or supporting dredging or earth-boring machinery.

5. a short pipe, as for connecting a water pipe with a meter.

6. Surgery. an instrument having a dull flattened blade for removing substances or foreign bodies from certain parts of the body, as wax from the ear.

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verb (used with object)

spudded, spudding

1. to remove with a spud.

verb phrase

1. spud in to set up earth-boring equipment, especially for drilling an oil well.

spud British  

/ spʌd /

noun

1. an informal word for potato

2. a narrow-bladed spade for cutting roots, digging up weeds, etc

3. Also called: spudder.  a tool, resembling a chisel, for removing bark from trees

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verb

1. (tr) to remove (bark) or eradicate (weeds) with a spud

2. (intr) to drill the first foot of an oil-well

Etymology

Origin of spud

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English spudde “short knife”; further origin unknown

Example Sentences

That’s amid evidence of rapidly improving models and AI services, a speeding up of Anthropic’s annualized revenue pace, and growing expectations for the coming OpenAI Spud release, they say.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

OpenAI scrapped its Sora video-generation app in part to free up computing resources to power coding and enterprise products that would work on a new AI model, code-named Spud, The Wall Street Journal reported.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Meanwhile, OpenAI is close to finishing work on a new AI model, code-named Spud, according to The Wall Street Journal.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

The hordes of people have braved the weather for the official opening of Spud Bros – a jacket potato business started in Preston which has grown to become a TikTok sensation.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025

The Spud Lamp was a big hit at the science fair.

From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio