spice
Americannoun
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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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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:
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
While spice master is an unofficial term—much like “spice therapist,” another that people have given Lev Sercarz, who says it makes him wince—his two cookbooks give the monikers credence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
To mark the 30th anniversary of Wannabe, the Spice Girls have shared tributes on social media, with Geri Halliwell posting a throwback photo of the group and thanking her "beautiful spice sisters" and fans.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Some nights I lean toward spice, blooming coriander, cumin, turmeric and red pepper flakes alongside frozen ginger and garlic cubes.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
We wandered on and found some orégano, and we gathered plenty because this was not only a cure for coughs and fever but a spice my mother used for beans and meat.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Knowing your flavor packets will help you determine what complementary spices and condiments to add.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
The dish, she added, then gets rounded out with fat from avocado and loads of garlic and spices to pack a spicy-sweet punch and comes with artichoke-olive salad for contrast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 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
The imperial economy brings him clothes, pottery, wine, spices and books.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
But the thing that I note most is the aromatic scent of Cajun spices that fills my nostrils and makes my mouth water.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The scent of Mexican spiced coffee brewed in a clay pot wafts through the front room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Pair your drink with the cardamom spice loaf, a warmly spiced treat that makes an ideal afternoon pick-me-up.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Einhorn speed-talked through a presentation spiced up with cartoons and music clips.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
She’s a huge fan of chocolate, coffee and cardamom, so I’ll be baking her a decadent chocolate olive oil cake paired with a spiced whipped cream that calls for more cocoa powder.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
It was said that Green Lake was "heaven on earth" and that Miss Katherine's spiced peaches were "food for the angels."
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
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
There will likely be no vistas of forest canopy, no shaded glens with water cascading through a tapestry of conifers, pine sap spicing the morning air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2025
You can also try spicing up your vanilla, per Redditor u/shazeaa: “Vanilla bean and some nutmeg to bring on the richness!”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025
Yes, I could see there was charcoal for cooking it, and shriveled red pili-pili peppers for spicing it, and calabash bowls to put it in, but where was the it, whatever it was?
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
