spit

¹ American  

[spit] / spɪt /

verb (used without object)

spit, spat, spitting

1. to eject saliva from the mouth; expectorate.

2. to express hatred, contempt, etc., by or as if by ejecting saliva from the mouth.

3. to sputter.

   grease spitting on the fire.

   Synonyms:

   spatter

4. to fall in scattered drops or flakes, as rain or snow.

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verb (used with object)

spit, spat, spitting

1. to eject from the mouth.

   The children were spitting watermelon seeds over the fence.

2. to throw out or emit like saliva.

   The kettle spits boiling water over the stove.

3. to set a flame to.

noun

1. saliva, especially when ejected.

2. the act of spitting.

3. Also called spittle. Entomology. the frothy secretion exuded by spittlebugs.

4. a light fall of rain or snow.

verb phrase

1. spit up to vomit; throw up.

   The wounded soldier spat up blood.

   If you jostle the baby, she'll spit up.

idioms

1. spit and image, exact likeness; counterpart: Also spitting image, spit 'n' image.

   Hunched over his desk, pen in hand, he was the spit and image of his father at work.

spit ² American  

[spit] / spɪt /

noun

1. a pointed rod or bar for thrusting through and holding meat that is to be cooked before or over a fire.

2. any of various rods, pins, or the like used for particular purposes.

3. a narrow point of land projecting into the water.

4. a long, narrow shoal extending from the shore.

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verb (used with object)

spitted, spitting

1. to pierce, stab, or transfix, as with a spit; impale on something sharp.

2. to thrust a spit into or through.

spit ¹ British  

/ spɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to expel saliva from the mouth; expectorate

2. informal (intr) to show disdain or hatred by spitting

3. (of a fire, hot fat, etc) to eject (fragments of coal, sparks, etc) violently and with an explosive sound; splutter

4. (intr) to rain very lightly

5. to eject or discharge (something) from the mouth

   he spat the food out

   to spit blood

6. to utter (short sharp words or syllables), esp in a violent manner

7. Also (NZ): spit tacks. slang to be very angry

8. informal a command given to someone that he should speak forthwith

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noun

1. another name for spittle

2. a light or brief fall of rain, snow, etc

3. the act or an instance of spitting

4. informal another word for spitting image

spit ² British  

/ spɪt /

noun

1. a pointed rod on which meat is skewered and roasted before or over an open fire

2. Also called: rotisserie, rotating spit. a similar device rotated by electricity or clockwork, fitted onto a cooker

3. an elongated often hooked strip of sand or shingle projecting from the shore, deposited by longshore drift, and usually above water

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verb

1. (tr) to impale on or transfix with or as if with a spit

spit ³ British  

/ spɪt /

noun

1. the depth of earth cut by a spade; a spade's depth

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Other Word Forms

• spitter
  noun
• spitlike
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of spit¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English verb spitten, spit(te), Old English spyttan, spittan; cognate with Old Norse spýta, German (dialect) spitzen “to spit”; the noun is derivative of the verb

Origin of spit²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English spit(e), spitte, Old English spitu; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German spit, spet, Old High German spiz “spit”; akin to Old Norse spīta “wooden peg, spit”

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Explanation

To spit is to propel saliva—which is also called spit—from your mouth. Generally speaking, it's rude to spit, particularly if you're at a fancy dinner party. There are some parts of the world where it's socially acceptable to spit in public, and it was once accepted in most of the West too. During the Middle Ages, Western Europeans found it less polite to "suck back" spit than to, well, spit. And spittoons, receptacles for spitting in, were common until the early 20th century, when the influenza epidemic and public health campaigns about tuberculosis greatly reduced public spitting.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spit spat spitted spitting

It’s something between curiosity and can I spit this out without seeming rude.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Some of them spit saliva on you unconsciously, especially if you are seated not far from them, and they are a nuisance in terms of noise and saliva.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

General Services Administration and billed under the tagline “Whatever you need from government, start here,” the chatbot is designed to scour federal websites and spit out official information in response to users’ queries.

From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026

But even I still get nervous sometimes when asking for a deal, feeling like I have to physically swallow my nerves just to spit the words out.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

He pulled a paper towel from the roll sitting on the counter and bent down to wipe away the dog spit.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

I’ve seen Tanden get into a headline-making spat with progressive blogger Matt Bruenig; I’ve even watched her carry on a one-sided vendetta against Susan Sarandon.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

Washington played Dr. Preston Burke on “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2005 but was nixed from the medical drama in 2007 after an on-set spat with co-star Patrick Dempsey, a.k.a.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

But some smaller enterprises fear they could be put out of business without a resolution to the trade spat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

While Gay was undone by the grubber, Lawrence came through multiple deliveries that spat and hit him on the body to further his case for long-term retention in the team.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

“They started it,” Delia spat out, straightening her shirt.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

That’s because the first preseason practice of the Kalen DeBoer era was greeted with a sudden bout of Pacific Northwest weather, as rain spitted on the turf inside Husky Stadium Thursday.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2022

Defendant Browder instead chose to plead his own case, ably belabored the technical charge on which he was spitted.

From Time Magazine Archive

Bringing a touch of Parisian gallantry to wilderness New York, he cried: "Never was a leg of mutton spitted with greater majesty."

From Time Magazine Archive

But the King had plenty for himself, his party, and for a banquet of spitted laham-mashwy and rice pilaff for the ship's officers.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then came the carving of the quarters, and they spitted morsels of lean meat on the long sharp tines and broiled them at arm’s length upon the fire.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said he felt Israel were "trying to intimidate" his team amid allegations of spitting during Sunday's tense Uefa Nations League draw.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Stocks are spitting out a smaller share of their returns in dividend income, a challenge for those who lean on steady cash flows to cover daily expenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

With the biggest global opening weekend in history, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is cleaning up at the box office in a manner that left “The Odyssey” spitting sand.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

She gets him within spitting distance of Downing Street just in time for her husband to dump her.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

“Horrible!” she screamed, spitting out the vile mix.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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