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• spence
  spence

  noun

  a pantry.
• Spence
  Spence

  noun

  a male given name, form of Spencer.

spence

¹ American  

[spens] / spɛns /

noun

British Dialect.

1. a pantry.

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Spence ² American  

[spens] / spɛns /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Spencer.

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spence ¹ British  

/ spɛns /

noun

1. dialect

   1. a larder or pantry

   2. any monetary allowance

   3. a parlour, esp in a cottage

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Spence ² British  

/ spɛns /

noun

1. Sir Basil ( Unwin ). 1907–76, Scottish architect, born in India; designed Coventry Cathedral (1951)

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Etymology

Origin of spence

1350–1400; Middle English spense, spence < Middle French despense pantry < Medieval Latin dīspēnsa, noun use of feminine of dīspēnsus, past participle of dīspendere to weigh out; see dispense

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spence Spence

Will straik on her mittens sae dainty, And crack wi' Mess John i' the spence.

From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 3 by Hamilton Wright Mabie

"John's ben in the spence," replied the woman.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume I Historical, Traditionary, and Imaginative by Various

Ere yet in scorn of Peter's pence, And numbered bead and shrift, Bluff Harry broke into the spence, And turned the cowls adrift.

From Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol. 1 A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer

My station was what is termed the spence, or the mid-room or closet, betwixt the kitchen and the ben.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 5 by Various

And now we'll go down to the spence, where ye can meet Mr. Burns.

From Nancy Stair A Novel by Elinor Macartney Lane

Spence, who now lives in Paisley with his husband and child, told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast that the show was "such a blast".

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Spence said he spent a lot of time working with the arranger to choose the music, curate and trim the showcase.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Susan Spence, chair of the ISM manufacturing business survey, who authored the report, said in an interview that she’s “starting to see warning signs” that customers are not spending money on orders.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

ISM Chair Susan Spence said U.S. manufacturing activity lost ground in key measures, including new orders, backlog and imports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

We walked 9.7 miles to Spence Field Shelter, a modest distance even for us, but we were wet through and chilled, and anyway it was too far to hike to the next one.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson