spoonful
Americannoun
-
the amount that a spoon is able to hold
-
a small quantity
Spelling
See -ful.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of spoonful
First recorded in 1250–1300, spoonful is from the Middle English word sponeful. See spoon, -ful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is in our nature to see something new and spit it out like we are 2 years old and PepsiCo has offered us a spoonful of broccoli.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
It began with a bag of frozen dumplings, a can of coconut milk, a spoonful of white miso and 15 minutes to make lunch.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
“I like to immerse myself and have a real experience and hopefully make it funny so it’s like a spoonful of sugar for the audience as they learn something.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
But until then, I cherish my cloistered time by the spoonful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
As if the tea wasn’t already a spoonful of sugar away from being syrup!
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
“The taste is the inheritance,” said Kaweenuntawong, who remembers sipping spoonfuls as a toddler.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
I’ll cut up a few wedges of lemon and squeeze them on top of my soup — even saving a few extra wedges to squeeze in between spoonfuls.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
He had two spoonfuls, Mr. Valdez, 31, said.
From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2024
It’s so good that she serves extra spoonfuls of the dressing straight out of the mixing bowl, dropping dollops of it onto our plates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
Scythe Curie took two more spoonfuls of soup before saying, “I’ll consider it.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
