spout
Americanverb (used with object)
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to emit or discharge forcibly (a liquid, granulated substance, etc.) in a stream or jet.
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Informal. to state or declaim volubly or in an oratorical manner.
He spouted his theories on foreign policy for the better part of the night.
verb (used without object)
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to discharge, as a liquid, in a jet or continuous stream.
- Synonyms:
- pour, livestream, squirt
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to issue forth with force, as liquid or other material through a narrow orifice.
- Synonyms:
- pour, livestream, squirt
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Informal. to talk or speak at some length or in an oratorical manner.
noun
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a pipe, tube, or liplike projection through or by which a liquid is discharged, poured, or conveyed.
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a trough or shoot for discharging or conveying grain, flour, etc.
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a waterspout.
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a continuous stream of liquid, granulated substance, etc., discharged from or as if from a pipe, tube, shoot, etc.
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a spring of water.
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a downpour or fall, especially of water, from a high place; waterfall.
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a dumbwaiter or chute, formerly common in pawnbrokers' shops, by which articles pawned were sent to another floor for storage.
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British Slang. pawnshop.
idioms
verb
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to discharge (a liquid) in a continuous jet or in spurts, esp through a narrow gap or under pressure, or (of a liquid) to gush thus
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(of a whale, etc) to discharge air through the blowhole, so that it forms a spray at the surface of the water
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informal to utter (a stream of words) on a subject, often at length
noun
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a tube, pipe, chute, etc, allowing the passage or pouring of liquids, grain, etc
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a continuous stream or jet of liquid
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short for waterspout
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slang
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ruined or lost
any hope of rescue is right up the spout
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pregnant
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Related Words
See flow.
Other Word Forms
- spouter noun
- spoutless adjective
- spoutlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of spout
First recorded in 1300–50; (verb) Middle English spouten; cognate with Dutch spuiten; akin to the Old Norse verb spȳta spit 1; (noun) Middle English spowt(e) “pipe,” akin to the noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Things that spout fire and smoke, as shown in C.C.’s books!
From Literature
As soon as the door had snapped shut, Opal spouted off another trio of names.
From Literature
The real fault should be assigned to the people who gave this madman a platform from which to spout his nutso rants.
From Salon
“There’s 30% to 40% chance of thunderstorms on Monday. We could see damaging wind gusts, intense rainfall, water spouts or brief, weak tornadoes.”
From Los Angeles Times
I thought my brother was just spouting conspiracy theories, but the way both men shove their hand in their pockets looks super suspicious.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
