spice
Americannoun
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spices
plural
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any of a class of pungent or aromatic substances of vegetable origin, as pepper, cinnamon, or cloves, used as seasoning, preservatives, etc.
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such substances collectively or as material.
Cookies without spice can be tasteless.
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a spicy or aromatic odor or fragrance.
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something that gives zest.
a spice of humor in his solemnity.
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a piquant, interesting element or quality; zest; piquancy.
The anecdotes lent spice to her talk.
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Archaic. a small quantity of something; trace; bit.
verb (used with object)
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spices,
present (3rd person singular)
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spiced,
past participle, past
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spicing
present participle
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to prepare or season with a spice or spices.
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to give zest, piquancy, or interest to by something added.
noun
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any of a variety of aromatic vegetable substances, such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, used as flavourings
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these substances collectively
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something that represents or introduces zest, charm, or gusto
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rare a small amount
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dialect confectionery
verb
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to prepare or flavour (food) with spices
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to introduce charm or zest into
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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spicernoun
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overspiceverb
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respiceverb (used with object)
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spiceableadjective
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spicelessadjective
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spicelikeadjective
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unspicedadjective
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well-spicedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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spicesimple
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spicessimple
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have spicedperfect
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has spicedperfect
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am spicingprogressive
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are spicingprogressive
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is spicingprogressive
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have been spicingperfect progressive
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has been spicingperfect progressive
Past
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spicedsimple
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had spicedperfect
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was spicingprogressive
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were spicingprogressive
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had been spicingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spice
1175–1225; (noun) Middle English, aphetic form of Old French espice ( French épice ) from Latin speciēs “appearance, sort, kind” ( see species), in Late Latin (plural): “goods, wares, spices, drugs”; (verb) Middle English spicen, in part derivative of the noun, in part from Old French espicer, derivative of espice
Explanation
You can spice up your meal with chili powder — or you can spice up your room with a disco ball! Spice is usually a flavoring for food, but you can add spice to other things by jazzing them up. Spices make your food more interesting and flavorful. Something that increases the excitement in other parts of life can also be called spice, like when the rivalry between two basketball players adds spice to the game. You can spice things up when you're telling a story by adding colorful details.
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.
See Examples For:
They include PepsiCo and the spice merchant McCormick & Co., which both cited nontariff price increases as a target of the refunds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Starbucks is gearing up for a return of favorites such as pumpkin spice lattes in the fall and will begin testing sparkling beverages in a few markets, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Within the exhibition halls, a bedroom, living room and kitchen -- complete with a glass jug, coffee pot, and spice containers -- recreate details of daily life in the homes of southern Lebanese residents.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
For a simpler option, sprinkle in a pre-made umami spice blend.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
The van Daans don’t see why we should bake a spice cake for Mr. Kugler’s birthday when we can’t have one ourselves.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
The peppercorn sauce is done with all Indian spices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Chef Lior Lev Sercarz frequently fields requests from people seeking spices to make their foods—especially vegetables and smaller portions—more enjoyable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Cement, concrete, olive oil and spices are also among commodities produced in the region that use the strait as an outlet to reach the outside world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Drizzle them with Nara’s Roasted Garlic Oil from Algae Cooking Club, season with salt, fresh-ground pepper and your favorite spices, then let the fire do the rest.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Fadi’s nose tingled as he inhaled the pleasant smell of yeast and spices while glancing at Habib.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
The trio’s freewheeling banter spiced with humorous mayhem and mischief enchanted legions of viewers while bringing freshness to the familiar formula of news, weather and sports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The scent of Mexican spiced coffee brewed in a clay pot wafts through the front room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Einhorn speed-talked through a presentation spiced up with cartoons and music clips.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
Alongside heaping plates of spiced rice — filled with generous chunks of tender mutton and buttery marrow and slivers of fried golden onions — were bowls of a humble condiment.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
After dinner Caroline made some hot spiced cider, and April arranged a plate of fancy Christmas cookies that she and Caroline had baked.
From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Christine Idzelis shed light on how leveraged exchange-traded funds were spicing up the SpaceX trade in the wake of the company’s IPO, for good and bad.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
During his cooking demonstration, the audience would erupt into cheers whenever he exclaimed, “BAM!” while spicing up his dishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
When it comes to spicing up your tea, experimentation is your best friend.
From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2024
But those channels’ competitor in this genre, Lifetime, is, if not bucking tradition, at least spicing it up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
His mom made instant coffee; she couldn’t be bothered with any other method and never went through the fuss of spicing it.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
