spoon

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A tool with a small shallow bowl at the end of a handle, used for eating, serving, or stirring food.

   Grammar: Countable: a spoon, two spoons. Often used with 'a' or 'the'.

   Patterns

   • a spoon for something
   • with a spoon

   She stirred the soup with a wooden spoon.

   Please put a spoon next to each bowl.

   He ate his dessert with a small spoon.

2. 2verbtransitive

   To lift or move food with a spoon.

   Grammar: Takes an object: spoon the sauce onto the plate. Often used with 'onto', 'into', or 'out of'.

   Patterns

   • spoon something onto something
   • spoon something into something
   • spoon something out

   Spoon the mixture onto the baking sheet.

   He spooned rice into his bowl.

   She spooned out the last of the jam.

3. 3verbintransitiveinformal

   To lie close together facing the same direction, especially while sleeping.

   Grammar: No object; often used with 'together' or 'up'. Informal.

   Patterns

   • spoon together
   • spoon up

   They spooned together on the narrow bed.

   The couple was spooning on the sofa.

Word forms

Common combinations

wooden spoon

Use a wooden spoon so you don't scratch the pan.

teaspoon

Add a teaspoon of sugar to the tea.

tablespoon

The recipe calls for two tablespoons of oil.

spoon in

He spooned the cereal in quickly.

Synonyms and how they differ

ladle

A ladle is a deep, long-handled spoon for serving soup or liquid; a spoon is smaller and shallower.

scoop

A scoop is a deep, often round tool for moving loose material like flour or ice cream; a spoon is flatter and used for eating.

Word family

spoonful noun

The amount that a spoon can hold.

teaspoon noun

A small spoon used for tea or coffee, or a unit of measurement.

tablespoon noun

A large spoon used for serving or measuring.

Commonly confused: spoon or spoonerism?

Practice

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