spawn

American  

[spawn] / spɔn /

noun

PLURAL

spawn, spawns

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

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

3. Usually Disparaging.  a swarming brood; numerous progeny.

   Diners at the restaurant were annoyed by the two inconsiderate parents and their unruly spawn.

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

---

adjective

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

   a spawn point;

   the spawn rate.

verb (used without object)

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

2. (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)

1. to produce (spawn).

2. to give birth to; give rise to.

   His sudden disappearance spawned many rumors.

   Synonyms:

   beget , yield , generate , engender

3. to produce in large number.

4. to plant with mycelium.

spawn British  

/ spɔːn /

noun

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

2. derogatory  offspring, product, or yield

3. botany the nontechnical name for mycelium

---

verb

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

2. derogatory  (of people) to produce (offspring)

3. (tr) to produce or engender

spawn Scientific  

/ spôn /

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

2. Offspring produced in large numbers.

---

1. To lay eggs; produce spawn.

Other Word Forms

• spawner noun
• unspawned adjective

Etymology

Origin of spawn

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

Example Sentences

The heyday of Britain’s Victorian empire spawned many larger-than-life personalities, but few of them rivaled Col.

From The Wall Street Journal

The accident, which spawned congressional hearings, litigation and a criminal probe, galvanized opponents of nuclear power.

From The Wall Street Journal

Black Friday spawned the creation of other sales events, such as Cyber Monday, when online retailers slash prices each Monday after Thanksgiving in a bid to attract customers.

From Barron's

After all, “Star Wars” began with one movie, but it has now spawned multiple pictures and other projects, leading up to Disney+

From MarketWatch

It spread like wildfire on TikTok and Instagram, spawning its own hand gestures, and became so ubiquitous -- and annoying -- that it was reportedly banned in some US schools.

From Barron's

Related Words

• create
• generate