spud

American  

[spuhd] / spʌd /

noun

1. Informal. a potato.

2. a spadelike instrument, especially one with a narrow blade, as for digging up or cutting the roots of weeds.

3. a chisel-like tool for removing bark.

4. a pointed leg or stake for staying or supporting dredging or earth-boring machinery.

5. a short pipe, as for connecting a water pipe with a meter.

6. Surgery. an instrument having a dull flattened blade for removing substances or foreign bodies from certain parts of the body, as wax from the ear.

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verb (used with object)

spudded, spudding

1. to remove with a spud.

verb phrase

1. spud in to set up earth-boring equipment, especially for drilling an oil well.

spud British  

/ spʌd /

noun

1. an informal word for potato

2. a narrow-bladed spade for cutting roots, digging up weeds, etc

3. Also called: spudder.  a tool, resembling a chisel, for removing bark from trees

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verb

1. (tr) to remove (bark) or eradicate (weeds) with a spud

2. (intr) to drill the first foot of an oil-well

Etymology

Origin of spud

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English spudde “short knife”; further origin unknown

Example Sentences

Vauxhall, 150 miles southeast of Calgary, calls itself the “Potato Capital of the West,” but its spud fields whiff of petroleum because they also sprout oil derricks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Cantwell is right to defend the spud against this line of attack.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2024

But the case, like so many others, fell by the flesh of the spud.

From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2024

Baked, boiled, roasted or chipped, the humble spud is a dinner staple.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2023

He'd always say things like, "Jess, we're going to go shoot hoops just the two of us, but when we get back we'll play spud with you."

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies