spout

American  

[spaut] / spaʊt /

verb (used with object)

• spouts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• spouted,
  past participle,  past
• spouting
  present participle

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)

• spouts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• spouted,
  past participle,  past
• spouting
  present participle

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

• spouts
  plural

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.

idioms

1. up the spout,

   1. pawned.

   2. in a desperate situation; beyond help.

      His financial affairs are up the spout.

spout British  

/ 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

Synonym Usage

See flow.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• spouter
  noun
• spoutless
  adjective
• spoutlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spouts
  plural

Participles

• spouting
  present
• spouted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• spout
  simple
• spouts
  simple
• have spouted
  perfect
• has spouted
  perfect
• am spouting
  progressive
• are spouting
  progressive
• is spouting
  progressive
• have been spouting
  perfect progressive
• has been spouting
  perfect progressive

Past

• spouted
  simple
• had spouted
  perfect
• was spouting
  progressive
• were spouting
  progressive
• had been spouting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will spout
  simple
• will have spouted
  perfect
• will be spouting
  progressive
• will have been spouting
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of spout

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

---

Explanation

A spout is the narrow opening in the edge of a container that makes it easier to neatly pour its contents. A pitcher's spout helps you direct your orange juice into your glass. Some spouts are indentations or lips, and others — like the spout on a teapot — are tubes. Another meaning of spout is "gush suddenly in a stream." If you filled your teapot too full, tea might spout from its spout. When someone figuratively spouts, she talks in a loud, animated way. The verb form of spout came first, from a Proto-Germanic root that also spawned the Middle Dutch spoiten and the Swedish sputa, both also meaning spout.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spout spouts spouted spouting

Its stars form a shape that resembles a teapot, including a handle, lid, and spout.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026

A spruce branch threaded through the spout as a filter.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

Everyone’s an influencer, anyone can spout at you, and sorting through that, I think, must just be mind-boggling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026

Advice givers end up asking about three questions in response to every one they are posed, and they spout a lot of general advice to avoid being wrong.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 9, 2026

Pseudointellectuals spout obscure verbiage to hide the fact that they have nothing to say.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Another says, "He never spouts empty, feel-good platitudes; instead, he crouches down to face real-life dilemmas alongside us."

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

But he says he doesn’t think twice about what someone spouts behind a screen.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

During heavy rains, water spouts from the mouths of carved dragons on the corners of the roof.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

There is also a very low risk of water spouts and tornadoes, Kittell said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025

Three different spouts on walls of building around garden.

From "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman

Executives at both OpenAI and Anthropic constantly spouted about the existential threat of artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025

However, Hunga Tonga spouted an unusually high amount of water and low amount of cooling sulfur.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 8, 2023

His crazy ideas, constantly spouted on a variety of platforms, have enable him to seem almost legitimate.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2023

“Yourself,” I say, and he looks at me like I’ve spouted something in a foreign language.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe

Avatar Musk, meant to appear like AI slop and spouting commentary culled from the totality of his recorded interviews, is pretty gimmicky.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Distinguished by a red-tiled facade and paper lanterns hanging overhead, the shrine had offering cups arranged in rows on a crimson table and a bronze urn spouting wisps of incense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

In the extraordinary abstraction that follows, Thatcher finds her ideal role as one of NWR’s stilted avatars, gussied up in couture and spouting riddles.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

But a Reform source accused the Lib Dem leader of "spouting total madness" and said the party had no plans to change gun laws in the UK should it win power.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025

“You’re spouting nonsense. But on the other hand, my friend, I have a paste here that cleans teeth, and I think you should hear me out...”

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• gush

---