spawn

[ spawn ]

/ spɔn /

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See synonyms for: spawn / spawned / spawning on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural spawn, spawns.

Zoology. the mass of eggs deposited by fishes, amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans, etc.

Mycology. the mycelium of mushrooms, especially of the species grown for the market.

Usually Disparaging. a swarming brood; numerous progeny:Diners at the restaurant were annoyed by the two inconsiderate parents and their unruly spawn.

any person or thing regarded as the offspring of some stock, idea, etc.

adjective

of or relating to the spawning of a character or item in a video game:a spawn point;the spawn rate.

verb (used without object)

to deposit eggs or sperm directly into the water, as fishes.

(of a character or item in a video game) to originate at a fixed point in an existing game environment:An enemy character just spawned right on top of me!

verb (used with object)

to produce (spawn).

to give birth to; give rise to: His sudden disappearance spawned many rumors.

to produce in large number.

to plant with mycelium.

OTHER WORDS FOR spawn

9 engender, generate, yield, beget.

See synonyms for spawn on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of spawn

1350–1400; Middle English spawnen (v.), probably <Anglo-French espaundre (Old French espandre) to expand

OTHER WORDS FROM spawn

spawner, nounun·spawned, adjective

Words nearby spawn

spatulate, spätzle, spaulder, spavin, spavined, spawn, spay, spaz, spaza shop, S.P.C.A., S.P.C.C.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use spawn in a sentence

There is a misconception among locals that the small masu found in winter—which they call pestrushka— are a different species entirely from the larger fish—called sima— that come in summer to spawn.
The quest to snare—and save—the world’s largest owl|Jonathan Slaght|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science
The brand took off, becoming a poster child of the e-commerce movement that would spawn many a “Warby Parker of X”s.
Warby Parker raises $245 million for a $3 billion valuation|Lucinda Shen|August 27, 2020|Fortune
Since his Carnegie Mellon team won the DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007 — the race that spawned today’s self-driving movement — he has been one of the industry’s central players, first co-founding Google’s self-driving unit and later leading it.
Last Unicorn Standing: Can This Self-Driving Innovator Survive?|Charu Kasturi|August 27, 2020|Ozy
Now, these communities are counting on art to keep their economies going amid the crisis spawned by the coronavirus pandemic.
Can the Arts Save Rural America From the Recession?|Charu Kasturi|August 16, 2020|Ozy

In recent years, she adds, Tbilisi has spawned a new crop of free-thinking youngsters planning their own startups.
A Pandemic Tourism Pivot From Cool to Wellness|Dan Peleschuk|August 11, 2020|Ozy
Well known for his gimmicks, Daylyt entered the stage in a Spawn costume that could stop traffic at Comic Con.
America’s Poets: Battle Rap Gets Real|Rich Goldstein|July 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So why is it that this new flurry of celebrity spawn are able to create their own identities while so many others have failed?
The Famous Parents Modeling Club|Erin Cunningham|May 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The same, however, historically cannot be said for famous spawn turned high-fashion models.
The Famous Parents Modeling Club|Erin Cunningham|May 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That is not to say that the focus on Cohle and Hart does not spawn two compelling performances.
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’|Jimmy So|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Replaying sections will spawn enemies in the same place, but what happens then changes from time to time.
‘Killzone: Shadow Fall’ Review: Oh My God, This PlayStation 4 Game Is Beautiful|Alec Kubas-Meyer|November 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They run up into fresh water to spawn, and in the process are scooped out by the basket-load.
The Cradle of Mankind|W.A. Wigram
Those in that trough right behind you are just hatching, they're from the first batch of spawn in the early spring run.
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries|Francis Rolt-Wheeler
I opened a big-bellied one indeed, and found it full of spawn.
The Natural History of Selborne, Vol. 1|Gilbert White
The salmon go over a hundred miles up to the McCloud River to spawn, and will jump or leap up small falls or rapids in their way.
Stories of California|Ella M. Sexton
Worse than all, too, the common trout deteriorated, for they had fed on the spawn of the salmo eriox.
The Rivers of Great Britain: Rivers of the East Coast|Various

British Dictionary definitions for spawn

spawn

/ (spɔːn) /

noun

the mass of eggs deposited by fish, amphibians, or molluscs

often derogatory offspring, product, or yield

botany the nontechnical name for mycelium

verb

(of fish, amphibians, etc) to produce or deposit (eggs)

often derogatory (of people) to produce (offspring)

(tr) to produce or engender

Derived forms of spawn

spawner, noun

Word Origin for spawn

C14: from Anglo-Norman espaundre, from Old French spandre to spread out, expand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for spawn

spawn

[ spôn ]

Noun

The eggs of water animals such as fish, amphibians, and mollusks.

Offspring produced in large numbers.

Verb

To lay eggs; produce spawn.

spawn

OTHER WORDS FOR spawn

Origin of spawn

OTHER WORDS FROM spawn

Words nearby spawn

Words related to spawn

How to use spawn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spawn

Derived forms of spawn

Word Origin for spawn

Scientific definitions for spawn