spit
spit — verb
1. to send saliva, food pieces, or liquid from between your lips with a short, forc
to send saliva, food pieces, or liquid from between your lips with a short, forceful action, usually because the taste is bad or to show you disapprove of something.
Esteban spat out the piece of bone he had found in his soup.
spit out [object] from mouth
The old bus driver spat into a handkerchief and put it back in his pocket.
After tasting the sour milk, Noa quickly spat it into the kitchen sink.
Gita spat watermelon seeds into the garden while her cousins laughed.
collocation: spit seeds / spit food
Near the bus stop, Vivek leaned over the railing and spat onto the gravel path before boarding the bus.
intransitive: spit onto [surface]
- spit out
- spit into
- spit on
- spit up
- expectorate
formal medical term; almost never used in everyday conversation
- dribble
describes liquid falling slowly from the mouth, not a forceful ejection
- hawk
British informal; means to clear the throat noisily before spitting
- swallow
to take liquid or food into the stomach through the throat
Grammar Patterns
spit + adverb/preposition
spit + [object] + out
Usage Note
Object can be saliva, food, liquid, or small objects like seeds or pills. Often used with 'out' when specifying the thing being expelled from the mouth.
Common Mistakes
2. to say words in a quick, angry, and forceful way, showing that you are furious o
to say words in a quick, angry, and forceful way, showing that you are furious or offended.
'You are lying!' Layla spat at the committee members across the table.
spit + direct quote + at [person]
Jiwoo spat insults at the referee and was sent off the field immediately.
spit + [angry words] + at [person]
'I never want to see you again,' Eleni spat through clenched teeth.
spit + quote + manner description
The taxi driver spat a curse at the cyclist who cut in front of him.
- spit at
- spit insults
- spit curses
- spit venom
Grammar Patterns
spit + quote
spit + [words] + at + [person]
spit at + [person]
Usage Note
Usually followed by a direct quotation or by 'at' / 'to' for the recipient. The speaker's anger or contempt must be clear from context — this sense is not used for neutral or polite speech.
Common Mistakes
3. (of something hot, like a fire or cooking oil) to make short, sharp cracking or
(of something hot, like a fire or cooking oil) to make short, sharp cracking or hissing sounds while sending out small hot pieces or drops of liquid.
The campfire spat sparks into the dark sky above the tall pine trees.
collocation: fire spits sparks
Hot oil from the frying pan spat onto the wall and left greasy marks.
The candle spat and crackled as the wick burned down to the bottom.
intransitive: [thing] spits
Christopher stepped back when the grill spat hot fat onto his bare arm.
- spit sparks
- spit fat
- spit and crackle
Grammar Patterns
[hot thing] + spits
spit + [adverb of direction]
Usage Note
Often used in continuous form ('the oil was spitting'). The subject is typically a wood fire, hot cooking fat, a candle, or a sparking electrical wire.
Common Mistakes
4. (of rain) to fall in very small, scattered drops, so that it feels more like a l
(of rain) to fall in very small, scattered drops, so that it feels more like a light mist than real rain.
It was only spitting, so Hoa decided to walk without an umbrella.
it is spitting (impersonal)
The weather report said it would just spit for an hour or two.
It began to spit as Caleb left the bus stop, but he did not hurry.
'It is only spitting,' said Nkechi, 'so we can still have our picnic.'
collocation: it is only spitting
- it is spitting
- spit with rain
Grammar Patterns
it is spitting
Usage Note
Chiefly British English. Always used in the continuous or simple form with 'it' as the subject: 'it's spitting' or 'it spat a little.' Not used with a direct object — you cannot say 'it spits rain.'
Common Mistakes
5. to push a thin, pointed metal or wooden rod through food so that it can be held
to push a thin, pointed metal or wooden rod through food so that it can be held over a fire and cooked evenly.
The chef spitted the whole chicken and placed it over the hot coals.
transitive: spit + [food]
Devika spitted chunks of lamb onto the metal rod for roasting slowly.
The fish was spitted whole and cooked over a fire on the beach.
passive: be spitted
Caleb spitted large prawns onto the rod and grilled them over charcoal.
- spit the meat
- spitted on a rod
- spit and roast
Grammar Patterns
spit + [food] + on [rod]
be spitted + on [rod]
Usage Note
Primarily used in cooking and grilling contexts. More common in recipes and historical texts than in everyday speech. The past tense is 'spitted' — this is the ONLY sense where 'spitted' is correct, which helps distinguish it from other senses.
Common Mistakes
spit it out
phrasal verbused as an impatient order for someone to say what they are thinking or are reluctant to say.
'Come on, spit it out!' said Esteban when his sister kept hesitating over the news.
The teacher told the shy boy to spit it out instead of whispering to himself.
spit up
phrasal verbTo vomit or bring up food from the stomach, especially for babies.
The baby spit up milk right after feeding.
Aiden spit up his lunch because he ate too fast.
to speak with extreme anger and hatred, as if every word is meant to hurt someone.
During the argument, Lukas was spitting venom at his former business partner.
The article spits blood at every politician it mentions, leaving no room for fairness.
extremely close to something, especially a place or location.
The hotel was within spitting distance of the beach, so we walked there every morning.
The two rival shops sat within spitting distance of each other on the same street.
spit it out
idiomUsed to tell someone to say something they are afraid or unwilling to say.
Come on, Min, just spit it out—what happened last night?
If you have a problem, spit it out instead of staying silent.
spit venom/blood
idiomTo show extreme anger or speak in a very angry way.
Maya spat venom at the driver who nearly hit her dog.
During the argument, Diego spat blood and slammed the door.
Very close to something.
Our hotel is within spitting distance of the beach.
Sara lives within spitting distance of the train station.
spit — noun
1. a long thin rod, usually made of metal, that is pushed through pieces of meat or
a long thin rod, usually made of metal, that is pushed through pieces of meat or other food to hold them steady while they roast over a fire.
The butcher wiped the long metal spit clean with a damp cloth.
A whole pig was turning slowly on a spit in the town square.
collocation: on a spit
Hoa removed the lamb from the spit and carved it at the table.
The museum displayed an ancient iron spit used for cooking meat.
collocation: iron / wooden spit
- on a spit
- turn the spit
- spit-roasted
Usage Note
Often follows 'on a' or 'from the' ('chicken on a spit'). In modern cooking, 'skewer' is more common for small pieces; 'spit' usually refers to the larger rod used for whole animals or large cuts.
2. a long, narrow strip of coastal land, made of sand or small stones, that project
a long, narrow strip of coastal land, made of sand or small stones, that projects outwards from the shoreline into open water such as an ocean or lake.
The sandy spit stretched nearly a kilometre into the calm blue water.
collocation: sandy / gravel spit
Seagulls gathered on the narrow spit at the mouth of the river.
A small lighthouse stood at the far end of the gravel spit.
The children walked along the spit to collect shells at low tide.
collocation: along the spit
- sandy spit
- gravel spit
- at the end of the spit
Usage Note
A geography term that appears in place names (e.g. 'Spurn Head' in England). Not to be confused with a 'sandbar,' which is underwater or barely above water — a spit is permanently above the waterline.
3. the clear, watery fluid that forms inside a person's mouth, particularly when it
the clear, watery fluid that forms inside a person's mouth, particularly when it is visible dripping out or is deliberately pushed out.
Spit dripped from the corner of the sleeping man's open mouth.
The nurse took a sample of the patient's spit for medical testing.
collocation: spit sample
Lukas wiped the spit from his chin after brushing his teeth quickly.
The scientist examined the bird's spit under a microscope in the lab.
collocation: animal spit
- a piece of spit
- spit sample
- wipe the spit
Usage Note
More informal than 'saliva.' 'Spit' is the word used in everyday conversation; 'saliva' is preferred in medical or formal writing.
4. an act of forcing saliva or other matter from the mouth in a single, deliberate
an act of forcing saliva or other matter from the mouth in a single, deliberate action.
A loud spit landed on the ground just beside the metal dustbin.
collocation: a loud spit
Christopher gave a quick spit into the grass and kept on walking.
The old rules said that a spit in public could get you a fine.
countable: a spit
One angry spit was all it took to start a fight between the two men.
- a loud spit
- a quick spit
- give a spit
- expectoration
the formal medical term; almost never used in everyday conversation
Usage Note
Countable noun — you can say 'a spit' or 'two spits.' Less common than the verb form; 'a spit' often emphasises the sound or the action as a whole event rather than the substance itself.
Word family
- spitternounC1
- spittingadjectiveB2
- spatverbB1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
'Expectorate' is the formal, clinical term for forcing mucus or phlegm out of the mouth and is almost never used outside a doctor's office or a lab. 'Hawk' (informal British English) means to clear the throat noisily and spit — it emphasises the sound before the action more than the spitting itself. 'Dribble' and 'drool' both describe liquid escaping the mouth passively rather than being forced out: babies drool when teething, tired commuters may dribble coffee down their chins. Neither word involves the deliberate, muscular push that 'spit' describes. In everyday use, if you expectorate into a cup in a clinic, you are spitting. If you hawk loudly on the street, you are spitting. If saliva runs down your chin while you sleep, you are drooling — not spitting.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'spit' comes from Old English 'spittan,' part of a family of sound-imitative words across Germanic languages. The sound of a forceful puff of air through the lips is naturally represented by the 'sp-' sound, which is why similar words appear in many languages: German 'spucken,' Dutch 'spuwen,' Latin 'spuere,' and Greek 'ptyein.' The cooking sense (the roasting rod) comes from a different Old English word 'spitu,' which also appears in German 'Spieß' and Dutch 'spit.' These two meanings of 'spit' are historically unrelated — they happened to sound and look alike as both languages evolved into modern English.