spatula

American  

[spach-uh-luh] / ˈspætʃ ə lə /

noun

1. an implement with a broad, flat, usually flexible blade, used for blending foods or removing them from cooking utensils, mixing drugs, spreading plasters and paints, etc.

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spatula British  

/ ˈspætjʊlə /

noun

1. a utensil with a broad flat, often flexible blade, used for lifting, spreading, or stirring foods, etc

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Other Word Forms

• spatular
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of spatula

1515–25; < Latin: a flat piece, batten, equivalent to spath ( a ) spathe + -ula -ule

Explanation

Don’t even think about making pancakes if you don’t have a spatula. What else would you flip them with? There are two main types of spatulas, both of which are kitchen utensils. One has a wide, flat surface attached to the end of a handle and is ideal for picking up, flipping, or serving hot foods like pancakes and hamburgers. The other has a more flexible end, usually made of rubber or plastic, and is used for mixing batter or spreading icing. Painters also use a type of spatula to mix or spread paint.

Example Sentences

Use a wide spatula if you have one.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

Further, one of the spatula papers turned out to have contained a math error.

From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026

Norway’s Sven Seljom, a burly 57, described how he uses black Norwegian oats and prefers to use a spatula, to a chorus of boos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 19, 2025

The mother-of-three has gone on to sell her works - painted exclusively with a palette knife and spatula - for five-figure sums.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2025

She was busy at the stove, presiding over a skillet of fried spinach with radishes, and could not hear me because of the drone of the exhaust fan and the fierce scrapes of her spatula.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri