What does spoon mean?
A spoon is a common utensil with a bowl-shaped or shallow dish and a handle. People use spoons for eating, stirring, serving, scooping, and measuring food, and an amount held in one is often called a spoonful. The word can also be used as a verb, as in 'spoon the sauce over the meat' or 'spoon the mixture into the jars.' In everyday figurative expressions, spoons are associated with nourishment, dependence, and privilege: someone may be 'born with a silver spoon,' while a person or organization can 'spoon-feed' another by doing too much for them. 'Spoonerism,' a form of speech error involving the interchange of initial sounds or letters, also preserves the word's association with language and verbal play. Overall, 'spoon' is a familiar word whose literal and figurative uses reflect its practical role in eating and sharing food.
A utensil with a shallow or rounded bowl and a handle, used for eating, stirring, serving, or measuring food; also, an amount held in such a utensil.
"The child asked for another spoonful of porridge."
Countable; the standard plural is 'spoons.'
To stir, mix, scoop, or serve with a spoon.
"She spooned the sauce over the roasted vegetables."
The verb is especially common in cooking, serving, and carefully handling food or liquid.
The usual plural is 'spoons'; 'spoonfuls' is used when referring to individual spoonfuls of food or liquid.
"The shelves were filled with wooden spoons and silver teaspoons."
From the everyday utensil to expressions such as 'spoon-feed' and 'spoonerism,' this small object has given English some remarkably memorable words and phrases.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spoon come from?
The word comes from Old English spūn, an Old West Germanic noun for a spoon. It has close parallels in Old Norse spōnn and Middle Dutch spoone, while related forms in other Germanic languages reflect the same broad family of spoon words. In modern English, the noun developed into its familiar general sense, and the verb came to mean using a spoon to stir, scoop, or serve. Compounds such as 'spoonful' and 'spoon-feed' developed directly from this established everyday object.
Related word forms
How spoon is actually used
As a noun, 'spoon' is countable and pluralized as 'spoons.' The phrase 'by the spoonful' indicates small amounts taken repeatedly. The verb is common in cooking and serving contexts; 'spoon-feed' and 'spoon-fed' carry figurative meanings involving excessive care, dependence, or treating someone as unable to act independently.
Easily confused with spoon
A spoon has a bowl-shaped end for scooping or stirring, whereas a spatula has a broad, usually flat blade for turning, spreading, or lifting food.