spoonful
Americannoun
-
the amount that a spoon is able to hold
-
a small quantity
Spelling
See -ful.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of spoonful
First recorded in 1250–1300, spoonful is from the Middle English word sponeful. See spoon, -ful
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:
She works as a healthcare clown for Boston Children’s Hospital on the side and continues to live by the clowning code: be open-minded and take life with a spoonful of levity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
It is in our nature to see something new and spit it out like we are 2 years old and PepsiCo has offered us a spoonful of broccoli.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
“I like to immerse myself and have a real experience and hopefully make it funny so it’s like a spoonful of sugar for the audience as they learn something.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Whisk it with red wine vinegar or lemon juice, add a spoonful of Dijon mustard, and suddenly your everyday vinaigrette tastes layered and complex.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Fadi took a spoonful of tangy homemade yogurt and plopped it onto his plate, next to a pile of stewed cauliflower.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
“The taste is the inheritance,” said Kaweenuntawong, who remembers sipping spoonfuls as a toddler.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Roasted apples, dusted with cinnamon and brown sugar, bring soft caramelized notes, while spoonfuls of apple butter introduce deep, sticky fruit flavor.
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025
He had two spoonfuls, Mr. Valdez, 31, said.
From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2024
We put generous spoonfuls onto our white rice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2023
Our guest dutifully took a few spoonfuls of soup and bit a semicircle in the bread, then put his bowl on the floor.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
