spawn
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.
of or relating to the spawning of a character or item in a video game:a spawn point;the spawn rate.
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!
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.
Origin of spawn
1Other words for spawn
Other words from spawn
- spawner, noun
- un·spawned, adjective
Words Nearby spawn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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-ScienceThe 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 | FortuneSince 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 | OzyNow, these communities are counting on art to keep their economies going amid the crisis spawned by the coronavirus pandemic.
In recent years, she adds, Tbilisi has spawned a new crop of free-thinking youngsters planning their own startups.
Well known for his gimmicks, Daylyt entered the stage in a spawn costume that could stop traffic at Comic Con.
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 same, however, historically cannot be said for famous spawn turned high-fashion models.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTReplaying 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 | THE DAILY BEASTThey run up into fresh water to spawn, and in the process are scooped out by the basket-load.
The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. WigramThose 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-WheelerI opened a big-bellied one indeed, and found it full of spawn.
The Natural History of Selborne, Vol. 1 | Gilbert WhiteThe 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. SextonWorse than all, too, the common trout deteriorated, for they had fed on the spawn of the salmo eriox.
British Dictionary definitions for spawn
/ (spɔːn) /
the mass of eggs deposited by fish, amphibians, or molluscs
often derogatory offspring, product, or yield
botany the nontechnical name for mycelium
(of fish, amphibians, etc) to produce or deposit (eggs)
often derogatory (of people) to produce (offspring)
(tr) to produce or engender
Origin of spawn
1Derived forms of spawn
- spawner, noun
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
[ spôn ]
The eggs of water animals such as fish, amphibians, and mollusks.
Offspring produced in large numbers.
To lay eggs; produce spawn.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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