ladle
Americannoun
-
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)
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
-
are ladlingprogressive
-
am 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
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Orbiting Jupiter
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Other Words for Home
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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.
Ladle into warmed bowls and serve with a loaf of crusty garlic French bread still warm from the oven.
From Salon • Nov. 30, 2023
Ladle 1 cup batter into pan, being sure to get an even amount of berries for each pancake.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 1, 2023
Ladle the soup around them, then drizzle with oil.
From Washington Times • May 18, 2023
Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the parsley and serve hot.
From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2023
The sun sank below Ladle Hill and the autumn stars began to shine in the darkening east—Perseus and the Pleiades, Cassiopeia, faint Pisces and the great square of Pegasus.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
