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
Suddenly fog rolls in, fountains spout up from the sides of the stage, sprinklers above signal the start of a storm and then comes the main event. Caroline Reid, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 Markets force participants to have skin in the game, Coplan’s logic goes; the market’s behavior, in turn, contains more wisdom than, say, pundits spouting opinions. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
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 Common critiques were that the dispenser spout was too high on the body of the dispenser and that the spout would leak after dispensing. Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 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 22 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!