spatula

American

[spach-uh-luh] / ˈspætʃ ə lə /

noun

an implement with a broad, flat, usually flexible blade, used for blending foods or removing them from cooking utensils, mixing drugs, spreading plasters and paints, etc.

spatula British

/ ˈspætjʊlə /

noun

a utensil with a broad flat, often flexible blade, used for lifting, spreading, or stirring foods, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

spatular adjective

Etymology

Origin of spatula

1515–25; < Latin: a flat piece, batten, equivalent to spath ( a ) spathe + -ula -ule

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.

The spatula that warped when it got left in the oven?

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

Further, one of the spatula papers turned out to have contained a math error.

From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026

Norway’s Sven Seljom, a burly 57, described how he uses black Norwegian oats and prefers to use a spatula, to a chorus of boos.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 19, 2025

The mother-of-three has gone on to sell her works - painted exclusively with a palette knife and spatula - for five-figure sums.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2025

He brought the spatula down on the countertop with a thwack.

From "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023