spigot

American  

[spig-uht] / ˈspɪg ət /

noun

spigots plural

1. a small peg or plug for stopping the vent of a cask.

2. a peg or plug for stopping the passage of liquid in a faucet or cock.

3. a faucet or cock for controlling the flow of liquid from a pipe or the like.

4. the end of a pipe that enters the enlarged end of another pipe to form a joint.

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spigot British  

/ ˈspɪɡət /

noun

1. a stopper for the vent hole of a cask

2. a tap, usually of wood, fitted to a cask

3. a US name for tap 2

4. a short cylindrical projection on one component designed to fit into a hole on another, esp the male part of a joint ( spigot and socket joint ) between two pipes

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Regionalisms

See faucet.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spigots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spigot

1350–1400; Middle English spigot, perhaps < Old French *espigot < Old Provençal espig ( a ) (< Latin spīca ear of grain; see spica) + Old French -ot diminutive suffix

Explanation

If you want to splash in a giant puddle, just leave the spigot open in your backyard. A spigot is a faucet, a device to turn water on and off. If you leave a spigot open, the water will keep flowing. In the U.S., most of us call an indoor valve (in the kitchen or bathroom) a faucet, and the outdoor one a spigot. In other English-speaking places, a spigot is a plug inserted in a cask, or one end of a pipe. It's not uncommon for this word to be pronounced “spicket,” with some dictionaries including that as an acceptable way to say it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spigot spigots

Without that money spigot, David Ellison’s own ventures look much more perilous.

From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2026

Now that money spigot is drying up, especially in smaller markets, as more consumers drop the cable bundles that long fueled the sports economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

For those that don’t, it’s time to turn off the spigot.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 7, 2026

The spigot will reopen next week with important reports from Nvidia, which will shed new light on the AI trade, and from Home Depot, Walmart and Target, which will provide an important state-of-the-consumer update.

From Barron's ● Nov. 15, 2025

“Only one dern spigot out here and it’s on the wrong side of the house,” she groused, twisting the knob that turned the water on.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

Since 2020, when Washington turned on the spigots to counter effects of the pandemic, government-benefits fraud cases have increased 242%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

“They can turn these spigots on or off whenever they need to,” Sansoterra said of Big Tech’s capital expenditures.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2025

New York City’s estimated 275 mosques were among the first to host or counsel Muslim immigrants seeking shelter, halal food and water spigots used in pre-prayer ablutions.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 16, 2024

“Things could quickly change, should the spigots from sky shut off really quickly, should we see a really warm summer, should we see an active series of dry lightning come through the state.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024

Poppy said their skins would feel so sticky after plunging into the Dead Sea, they’d have to lie down under freshwater spigots to wash off.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

Related Words

• nozzle
• valve