spout

1 of 2

verb

spouted; spouting; spouts

transitive verb

1
: to eject (liquid) in a stream
wells spouting oil
2
a
: to speak or utter readily, volubly, and at length
b
: to speak or utter in a pompous or oratorical manner : declaim
a candidate spouting empty promises

intransitive verb

1
: to issue with force or in a jet : spurt
2
: to eject material (such as liquid) in a jet
3
spouter noun

spout

2 of 2

noun

1
: a pipe or conductor through which a liquid is discharged or conveyed in a stream: such as
a
: a pipe for carrying rainwater from a roof
b
: a projecting tube or lip from which a liquid (such as water) issues
2
: a discharge or jet of liquid or moisture from or as if from a pipe: such as
b
: the blowing of a whale
3
archaic : pawnshop
spouted adjective

Examples of spout in a Sentence

Verb The well was spouting oil. She kept spouting on and on about politics. Noun Water was flowing from the spout. the spout of a tea kettle
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The bright orange-and-red water spouts off the cliff with the visual intensity of a raging forest fire. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024 But discoveries of ocean worlds on Saturn’s Enceladus and Jupiter’s Europa, both of which have spouted similar-looking plumes, have made scientists cautiously hopeful that the Neptunian moon could also be harboring a sodden secret. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
This stainless steel option has no locking lid, no pour spout, and a base that gets moderately hot during cooking. Alida Nugent, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024 How to Clean Faucet Head Residue and Buildup To fix this problem, use pliers to gently grip and unscrew the aerator from the faucet’s spout. Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for spout 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English; akin to Middle Dutch spoiten to spout, Old English spīwan to spew

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spout was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near spout

Cite this Entry

“Spout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spout. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

spout

1 of 2 verb
1
: to shoot (as liquid) out with force
wells spouting oil
2
: to speak with a long and quick flow of words so as to sound important
3
: to flow out with force : spurt
blood spouted from the wound
spouter noun

spout

2 of 2 noun
1
: a tube, pipe, or hole through which something (as rainwater) spouts
2
: a sudden strong stream of fluid

More from Merriam-Webster on spout

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!