spout

[spout]

verb (used with object)

1. to emit or discharge forcibly (a liquid, granulated substance, etc.) in a stream or jet.

2. Informal.,  to state or declaim volubly or in an oratorical manner.

   He spouted his theories on foreign policy for the better part of the night.

verb (used without object)

1. to discharge, as a liquid, in a jet or continuous stream.

   Synonyms: pour, livestream, squirt

2. to issue forth with force, as liquid or other material through a narrow orifice.

   Synonyms: pour, livestream, squirt

3. Informal.,  to talk or speak at some length or in an oratorical manner.

   Synonyms: speechify, harangue, rant, declaim

noun

1. a pipe, tube, or liplike projection through or by which a liquid is discharged, poured, or conveyed.

   Synonyms: nose, nozzle

2. a trough or shoot for discharging or conveying grain, flour, etc.

3. a waterspout.

4. a continuous stream of liquid, granulated substance, etc., discharged from or as if from a pipe, tube, shoot, etc.

5. a spring of water.

6. a downpour or fall, especially of water, from a high place; waterfall.

7. a dumbwaiter or chute, formerly common in pawnbrokers' shops, by which articles pawned were sent to another floor for storage.

8. British Slang.,  pawnshop.

spout

/ spaʊt /

verb

1. to discharge (a liquid) in a continuous jet or in spurts, esp through a narrow gap or under pressure, or (of a liquid) to gush thus

2. (of a whale, etc) to discharge air through the blowhole, so that it forms a spray at the surface of the water

3. informal,  to utter (a stream of words) on a subject, often at length

noun

1. a tube, pipe, chute, etc, allowing the passage or pouring of liquids, grain, etc

2. a continuous stream or jet of liquid

3. short for waterspout

4. slang

   1. ruined or lost

      any hope of rescue is right up the spout

   2. pregnant

Other Word Forms

• spouter noun
• spoutless adjective
• spoutlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spout¹

First recorded in 1300–50; (verb) Middle English spouten; cognate with Dutch spuiten; akin to the Old Norse verb spȳta spit ¹; (noun) Middle English spowt(e) “pipe,” akin to the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of spout¹

C14: perhaps from Middle Dutch spouten, from Old Norse spyta to spit

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. up the spout,

   1. pawned.

   2. in a desperate situation; beyond help.

      His financial affairs are up the spout.

Synonym Study

See flow.

Example Sentences

In April, at his first news conference since taking office, Kennedy spouted a fountain of misinformation about autism.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Barefoot, she ran around the nursery begging for treats and spouting Virgil.

Read more on Literature

“Pups? Don’t be rude, Freddy. At Christmas they were spouting Latin, as I recall. An impressive trick, I must say.”

Read more on Literature

"People feel that it's now permissible for them to spout racist hate crime and hate speech because they're seeing this on their TVs," she said.

Read more on BBC

And rather than fly under the radar, Marler took the risk of spouting his theories openly, and was arguably the most bullish at the roundtables, even managing to ruffle Carr's feathers.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• gush