spatula
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing spatula
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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Pestle, Sieve, and Whisk: Useful Words for Cooking Tools
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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.
If you know someone isn’t a great cook, don’t expect them to pick up a spatula come breakfast time.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 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
One tiny spoon to dip a small bit of batter from the bowl, its twin used like a spatula to slide the perfectly portioned mound expertly into the bottom of each muffin cup.
From Salon • Jan. 2, 2025
When George came inside, Mom was at the stove with a spatula, tending to a frying pan.
From "George" by Alex Gino
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.
