ladle
Americannoun
-
ladles
plural
-
a long-handled utensil with a cup-shaped bowl for dipping or conveying liquids.
-
Metallurgy. a bucketlike, refractory-lined container for transferring molten metal.
verb (used with object)
-
ladles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ladled,
past participle, past
-
ladling
present participle
noun
-
a long-handled spoon having a deep bowl for serving or transferring liquids
a soup ladle
-
a large bucket-shaped container for transferring molten metal
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ladlesimple
-
ladlessimple
-
have ladledperfect
-
has ladledperfect
-
am ladlingprogressive
-
are ladlingprogressive
-
is ladlingprogressive
-
have been ladlingperfect progressive
-
has been ladlingperfect progressive
Past
-
ladledsimple
-
had ladledperfect
-
was ladlingprogressive
-
were ladlingprogressive
-
had been ladlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ladle
before 1000; Middle English ladel, Old English hlædel. See lade, -le
Explanation
A ladle is a large spoon with a deep bowl for scooping and serving soup and other liquids. If you make clam chowder, it might be messy to serve it without using a ladle. The serving implement is called a ladle, and you can also use this word as a verb: "Will you ladle some of that tomato soup into my bowl?" The Old English version was hlædel, from hladan, "to load," plus the "tool" suffix -le (like in thimble or handle).
Vocabulary lists containing ladle
Pestle, Sieve, and Whisk: Useful Words for Cooking Tools
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Orbiting Jupiter
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Other Words for Home
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
You cannot bail out the Titanic with a soup ladle.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
The championships are considered a major cultural event in the Netherlands, even featuring special postage stamps with the logo of a ladle and potato masher.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
The movie purports to dip into the deep well of Shakespearean magnificence but emerges only with a ladle full of greasy schmaltz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Desperate, I grabbed a plastic ladle from the kitchen to change the mojo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
Mrs. Wigginbottom suddenly dropped her ladle into the stew pot with such a crash, it silenced the group.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Inside, workers dipped ladles into buckets filled with soup that they poured into Styrofoam containers stuffed with rice to distribute to Haitians who have lost homes to gang violence.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
To top it off, I drizzled a little raita yogurt, then green chutney using the tips of their ladles.
From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2024
In it, nutty-tasting farro is given the risotto treatment, cooked gradually in ladles full of hot broth until it is enveloped in creaminess, and the grain is tender but retains its enticing chew.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 22, 2022
It’s womb-like and astral, and Lustwerk’s talk-raps, which he casually ladles throughout, are like reassuring commands.
From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2022
Dinner plates, dessert dishes, creamers, skewers, candlesticks, butter dishes, forks, spoons, teapots, trays, platters, ladles, tureens—the long table was covered end-to-end with treasure.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
Many remain convinced a tsunami could yet strike, he said, as government aid workers ladled rice porridge into bowls for the evacuees.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
President ladled his usual flattery on Mr. Xi as a “great” and “powerful” leader, and said the two are now fast friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
A generously fruit-dotted sangria — red or white — is hard to beat, especially when it’s meant to be ladled rather than poured.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2026
Then they ladled the liquid into small cups.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2025
Aunt Pretty ladled catsup into the waiting jars.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
A few metres away, his mother Beatrice was busy ladling out and flipping crepes spread from brim to brim with a generous layer of chocolate-hazelnut spread.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
The women, ladling out stew and potatoes with frozen hands, scoffed at the idea that the police could stop the crossings.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2023
Then, and only then, does Smith fry the patty, obsessively ladling rendered beef fat over the meat until the surface caramelizes to wring out that Maillard reaction.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2023
“They would say, ‘Ay, no, you live in Vietnam!’” recalls Ms. Inglés, ladling mango juice into a bag for a young boy at the juice stand she runs outside her home.
From New York Times ● Apr. 9, 2023
She was ladling stew into a large serving basin.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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.
