spackle
Americanverb (used with or without object)
Etymology
Origin of spackle
First recorded in 1925–30; perhaps from German Spachtel “putty knife,” variant of Spatel “spatula”; see spatula ( def. )
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:
When the Pratts recently redid their bathroom, Gina Pratt explained, Harvey couldn’t hold back from sculpting small, figurative frescoes into the spackle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
The White Sox, a talented but underachieving bunch meandering through another disappointing season, have spackle to share.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2023
You can either paste the paper back down with wallpaper adhesive, or tear off the damaged parts, spackle, and sand the area.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2022
Plus, the thought of “ever after” without license to spackle over the occasional crack is a little terrifying.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 17, 2022
I’ve seen her do stuff like this before—fix leaky pipes, unplug a clogged sink, or smack a glob of spackle on a hole in the wall.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
The Order: The sesame bagel is lovely on its own—or spackled with a schmear of pastrami lox cream cheese.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
At its foundation, the movie is a hoary cliché with quirk spackled on it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025
There are scenes of childbirth, as a man and woman look toward a swaddled baby in what appears to be a hospital room where the spackled walls show scars of fighting.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 19, 2022
The “capable woman” quip sounds like something Eleanor could have said, but it’s also 2022 feminism spackled on a 1930s fresco.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2022
Big-hoofed gray horses spackled like wolves, that rolled their eyes and whinnied at my footfall, leagued with men as if strapped to their business by harness I could not see.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Start with good mayo, and use just enough to bind; we’re not spackling a wall.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025
There are quite a few exterior spackling compounds and epoxy wood fillers that do a magnificent job of filling large cracks and holes.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2023
We took an unused commercial space and fixed it up pretty quickly by spackling and painting the walls white.
From New York Times ● May 29, 2020
Still, with a little spackling and good faith I think I can hold our belief in this year’s illusory cohesion together long enough to get in a few more points.
From Slate ● Jan. 5, 2018
I didn’t know it yet, but he and his mother had moved fourteen times over a period of ten years, and he had become expert at hanging pictures and spackling plaster.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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