Meaning & use
past tense of spit
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Meaning
phrase
The form of the verb 'spit' used for the past tense: 'spat' (also 'spit' in some varieties).
Grammar: Use 'spat' for the simple past. After 'have' or 'has', use 'spat' or 'spit' as the past participle.
Patterns
- spat at someone
- spat out something
- spat on something
He spat out the bitter medicine and reached for water.
The cat spat at the dog when it got too close.
She has never spat in public before.
Common combinations
- spat out
- He spat out the piece of bone he found in the fish.
- spat at someone
- The angry man spat at the referee and was sent off.
- spat on the ground
- She was shocked when he spat on the ground next to her.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spit
- The base form and also an accepted past tense in some contexts, but 'spat' is the standard past form.
Word family
Commonly confused: past tense of spit or spit?
past tense of spit vs spit
Some learners use 'spit' for the past, but 'spat' is the usual choice in exams and careful writing.
Practice
The little boy _____ the medicine out because it tasted terrible.
Choose one answer.
The sentence is about a past action, so we need the past tense 'spat'. 'Spitted' is not a standard past form of 'spit' in this meaning; 'spiting' is the -ing form and would need a helping verb; 'spits' is present tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “past tense of spit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.