spoon

SaySPOON/spun//spuːn/

Pluralspoons

Verbspoons, spooning, spooned

15 meanings of spoon

Practice

1
nouncountable
A tool with a small bowl on a handle, used for eating, stirring, or serving food.
Like a tiny shovel you use to scoop up food.
She picked up a spoon to eat her soup.
He stirred sugar into his tea with a small spoon.
UsageBorn with a silver spoon in your mouth means born rich.
Note
2
serve foodverbtransitive
To move food from one place to another using a spoon.
Like using a small scoop to move ice cream from a tub to a bowl.
She spooned soup into each bowl.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.
UsageSay spoon soup into a bowl.
Similarscoop, ladle
3
amount heldnouncountable
The amount of something that fits in one spoon.
Like a handful, but the size is set by a spoon instead of your hand.
Add one spoon of sugar to the mix.
She put two spoons of jam on her toast.
UsageMany people say a spoonful of sugar.
Similarspoonful

Less common meanings

4
cuddle closeverbcolloquialtransitive or intransitive
To lie close behind someone, curled to match the shape of their body.
Like two spoons stacked in a drawer, one curled into the other.
Couples often spoon to stay warm on cold nights.
She likes to spoon her partner after a long day.
Similarcuddle, snuggle, nestle
Note
5
fishing lurenouncountable
A curved metal lure used in fishing that wobbles in the water to attract fish.
Like a shiny piece of metal that moves like a small fish to trick a bigger one.
He cast a shiny spoon into the deep part of the lake.
A red spoon worked best for catching pike that afternoon.
Note
6
energy unitnounslangcountable
A unit used to count how much energy a person has for daily tasks, often used by people with long-term illness.
Like having only a few coins to spend: once they're gone, you must rest.
Getting dressed alone can cost her a whole spoon on bad days.
By evening he had run out of spoons completely.
UsageSay you ran out of spoons when you have no energy left.
Note
7
grenade levernounUScountable
The metal lever on a hand grenade that keeps it safe until it is thrown.
Like holding down a button that starts a timer the moment you let go.
He kept his thumb pressed on the spoon until he was ready to throw.
Once the spoon flips off, the grenade will go off in seconds.
Similarlever
Note
8
verbintransitive
To fish using a shiny, curved metal lure shaped like the bowl of a spoon.
Like waving a shiny toy so a cat chases it.
On calm mornings they spoon for pike along the reeds.
He likes to spoon for trout in the deep pools.
UsageSay spoon for trout.
9
verbdatedintransitive
To flirt or behave in a loving way toward someone.
Do you think we spoon and do? We only talk.
1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Sons and LoversHere, spoon means to flirt or act in a romantic way.
Similarcanoodle, flirt, court, smooch, neck
Note
10
hit weaklyverbtransitive or intransitive
To hit a ball softly with a lifting, scooping motion instead of a clean strike.
He spooned the ball and it barely cleared the net.
Try not to spoon your shots when the green is close.
UsageSay he spooned the ball into the net.
Similarscoop, fluff
Note
11
nounarchaic
An old golf club with a wooden head, used to lift the ball a medium height.
Note
12
nounarchaicfiguratively
A silly or foolish person.
To get all the advantages of being with men of this sort, you must know how to draw your inferences and not be a spoon who takes things literally.
1872, George Eliot, MiddlemarchHere, spoon means a silly or foolish person.
Note
13
nouncolloquial
A small dental tool with a rounded, scooped end, used to scrape decay from a tooth.
14
nounslang
An oar used to row a boat.
15
noun
A kind of shrub that grows in South Africa.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of spoon apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English spōn, meaning a sliver or chip of wood. Long ago it also just meant a piece of wood.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Spoon derives from Old English spōn, meaning a sliver or chip of wood. en.wiktionary.org
The word historically also meant a piece of wood. en.wiktionary.org