spoon

[ spoon ]

noun

1. a utensil for use in eating, stirring, measuring, ladling, etc., consisting of a small, shallow bowl with a handle.
2. any of various implements, objects, or parts resembling or suggesting this.
3. a spoonful.
4. Also called spoon bait. Angling. a lure used in casting or trolling for fish, consisting of a bright spoon-shaped piece of metal or the like, swiveled above one or more fishhooks, and revolving as it is drawn through the water.
5. Also called num·ber three wood. Golf. a club with a wooden head whose face has a greater slope than the brassie or driver, for hitting long, high drives from the fairway.
6. a curved piece projecting from the top of a torpedo tube to guide the torpedo horizontally and prevent it from striking the side of the ship from which it was fired.
7. (in spoon theory ) a unit of energy that, once used, must be replenished before becoming available again.

verb (used with object)

1. to eat with, take up, or transfer in or as in a spoon.
2. to hollow out or shape like a spoon.
3. Games.
   1. to push or shove (a ball) with a lifting motion instead of striking it soundly, as in croquet or golf.
   2. to hit (a ball) up in the air, as in cricket.
4. Informal. to nestle in close contact with (another), as when both are lying on their sides with their knees drawn up, the back of one person tucked into the front of the other like the bowls of two spoons:

   He moved over and spooned her, pressing himself gently against her warm back as she slept.

5. Informal: Older Use. to show affection or love toward (someone) by kissing and caressing, especially in an openly sentimental manner.

verb (used without object)

1. Informal. (of two people) to nestle in close contact with one another, as when both are lying on their sides with their knees drawn up, the back of one person tucked into the front of the other like the bowls of two spoons:

   They spooned without shifting position the whole night through.

2. Informal: Older Use. to show affection or love by kissing and caressing, especially in an openly sentimental manner.
3. Games. to spoon a ball.
4. Angling. to fish with a spoon.

spoon

/ spuːn /

noun

1. a metal, wooden, or plastic utensil having a shallow concave part, usually elliptical in shape, attached to a handle, used in eating or serving food, stirring, etc
2. Also calledspoonbait an angling lure for spinning or trolling, consisting of a bright piece of metal which swivels on a trace to which are attached a hook or hooks
3. golf a former name for a No. 3 wood
4. informal.
   a foolish or useless person
5. wooden spoon
   another name for booby prize
6. rowing a type of oar blade that is curved at the edges and tip to gain a firm grip on the water Compare spade 1
7. be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
   to inherit wealth or social standing

verb

1. tr to scoop up or transfer (food, liquid, etc) from one container to another with or as if with a spoon
2. slang.
   intr to kiss and cuddle
3. to hollow out (a cavity or spoon-shaped bowl) (in something)
4. sport to hit (a ball) with a weak lifting motion, as in golf, cricket, etc

Other Words From

• spoon·less adjective
• spoon·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spoon¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English spōn; cognate with Low German spon, German Span “chip,” Old Norse spōnn; akin to Greek sphḗn “wedge”

Word History and Origins

Origin of spoon¹

Old English spōn splinter; related to Old Norse spōnn spoon, chip, Old High German spān

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. born with a silver spoon in one's mouth, born into a wealthy family; having an inherited fortune:

   She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and never worked a day in her life.

More idioms and phrases containing spoon

see born with a silver spoon ; greasy spoon .

Example Sentences

One of the greatest magic tricks I ever saw unfolded when Johnny Carson invited the illusionist Uri Geller on “The Tonight Show” to bend a spoon with his mind.

From New York Times

This is clear in her use of unconventional materials like spoons, rosette prize ribbons, belts and silver plates — everyday items that she recontextualizes to stunning effect in dresses, skirts, and tops.

From Los Angeles Times

And each ”classic utensil set” includes a fork, spoon, knife and chopsticks, for versatility.

From Los Angeles Times

Now that the show's wedding episodes have aired, one can't help wondering if the show’s producers were spooning out a bit of foreshadowing.

From Salon

At Hide & Seek, in particular, they always have beautiful furniture but I’ll just find an amazing serving spoon or a little statue or a piece of art.

From Los Angeles Times