spawn

1 of 2

verb

ˈspȯn How to pronounce spawn (audio)
ˈspän
spawned; spawning; spawns

intransitive verb

1
: to deposit or fertilize spawn
2
: to produce young especially in large numbers

transitive verb

1
a
: to produce or deposit (eggs)
used of an aquatic animal
b
: to induce (fish) to spawn
c
: to plant with mushroom spawn
2
: bring forth, generate
the idea spawned controversy
spawner noun

spawn

2 of 2

noun

1
: the eggs of aquatic animals (such as fishes or oysters) that lay many small eggs
2
: product, offspring
also : offspring in great numbers
3
: the seed, germ, or source of something
4
: mycelium especially prepared (as in bricks) for propagating mushrooms

Examples of spawn in a Sentence

Verb The health-food craze spawned a multimillion-dollar industry. the incident that spawned a generation of student protests a TV show that spawned a host of imitations Noun Pacific salmon return to Alaskan streams to deposit their spawn. sometimes I think those little brats are the spawn of Satan himself
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The movie developed a cult following after its release and later spawned a hit musical adaptation on Broadway. Jaden Thompson, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 Duranguense also spawned its own peculiar, shoulder-swaying dance form, and fashion style, distinguished by sombreros with brims curved up like hardshell tacos, and ultra-pointy cowboy boots. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 The pandemic spawned unprecedented labor shortages, forcing employers to beef up pay and benefits, and spurring workers to jump ship. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 The Oscar-winning film spawned a franchise including three sequels: Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), and Shrek Forever After (2010). Ew Staff, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 Why: Smallmouth bass don’t spawn until the water reaches the low 60s. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024 The series has also spawned plenty of meme material. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 6 Mar. 2024 The first Bad Boys movie released in 1995 and spawned a 2003 sequel, Bad Boys II. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 In February 2024, a female stingray at an aquarium in North Carolina started showing signs of pregnancy while sharing her tank with several male sharks, spawning theories that the male sharks had impregnated her. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
All this time on water has given him a ton of insight into how bass behave around the spawn. Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 21 Mar. 2024 But ''The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour'' is the strongest of the three spawn — a searing homage to one of the most dreadful spinoffs ever, The Brady Bunch Hour. EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024 And although the team didn’t look at other fish for this study, Feiner believes other fish that spawn in the spring, like perch, muskie, pike and bass, are likely experiencing the same timing troubles. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 But with more than 7,500 miles of city streets to maintain, the city is always playing catch-up on potholes, which spawn faster than residents can report them. Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024 The dams generated power that fueled western expansion but devastated the salmon population, which could no longer swim upstream to spawn. Ben Tracy, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024 The agency was skeptical of claims that Sites would help to reduce water temperatures on the Feather and American rivers, where higher temperatures have been lethal for salmon spawn. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 Open your calendar app, because below are the seven best days of the 2024 bass spawn. Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 21 Feb. 2024 Indiana's decisions also could affect wildlife throughout the watershed, Boritt said, including the more than 80 species of Great Lakes fish that rely on wetlands to spawn, feed or protect their larvae. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spawn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French espandre to spread out, shed, scatter, spawn, from Latin expandere to expand

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spawn was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near spawn

Cite this Entry

“Spawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spawn. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spawn

1 of 2 verb
ˈspȯn How to pronounce spawn (audio)
ˈspän
1
: to deposit or fertilize eggs
fish swimming upstream to spawn
2
: to produce young especially in large numbers
3
spawner noun

spawn

2 of 2 noun
1
: the eggs of aquatic animals (as fishes or oysters) that lay many small eggs
2
: product sense 2, offspring
also : something produced in large quantities

More from Merriam-Webster on spawn

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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