spat

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈspæt/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/spæt/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(spat)

Inflections of 'spat' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
spats
v 3rd person singular
spatting
v pres p
spatted
v past
spatted
v past p
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From the verb spit: (⇒ conjugate)
spat is: ⓘClick the infinitive to see all available inflections
v past (US & UK—see note)
v past p (US & UK—see note)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
spat1 /spæt/USA pronunciation   n., v., spat•ted, spat•ting. 
n. [countable]
  1. a short, meaningless quarrel.

v. [no object]
  1. to have a short, meaningless quarrel or dispute.

spat2 /spæt/USA pronunciation   v. 
  1. a pt. and pp. of spit1.

spat3 /spæt/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Clothinga short piece of cloth or leather worn over the top of the shoe and usually fastened under the foot with a strap.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
spat1 (spat),USA pronunciation  n., v., spat•ted, spat•ting. 

n. 
  1. a petty quarrel.
  2. a light blow;
    slap;
    smack.

v.i. 
  1. to engage in a petty quarrel or dispute.
  2. to splash or spatter;
    rain spatting against the window.

v.t. 
  1. to strike lightly;
    slap.
  • perh. imitative 1795–1805, American.
    1. tiff, scrap, set-to.
spat2 (spat),USA pronunciation v. 
  1. a pt. and pp. of spit 1.

spat3 (spat),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Clothinga short gaiter worn over the instep and usually fastened under the foot with a strap, worn esp. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
  • short for spatterdash 1795–1805

spat4 (spat),USA pronunciation  n. 
  1. Invertebratesthe spawn of an oyster or similar shellfish.
  2. Invertebratesyoung oysters collectively.
  3. Invertebratesa young oyster.
  4. InvertebratesSee seed oyster. 
  • 1350–1400; Middle English; origin, originally uncertain

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
spat /spæt/ n
  1. rare a slap or smack
  2. a slight quarrel
 vb (spats, spatting, spatted)
  1. rare to slap (someone)
  2. (intransitive) US Canadian NZ to have a slight quarrel
Etymology: 19th Century: probably imitative of the sound of quarrelling
spat /spæt/ vb
  1. a past tense and past participle of spit1
spat /spæt/ n
  1. another name for gaiter
Etymology: 19th Century: short for spatterdash
spat /spæt/ n
  1. a larval oyster or similar bivalve mollusc, esp when it settles to the sea bottom and starts to develop a shell
  2. such oysters or other molluscs collectively
Etymology: 17th Century: from Anglo-Norman spat; perhaps related to spit1
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
spit1 /spɪt/USA pronunciation   v., spit or spat/spæt/USA pronunciation  spit•ting, n. 
v. 
  1. Physiology to expel saliva from the mouth:[no object; (~ + at + object)]He cleared his throat and spat loudly; kids spitting at each other.
  2. to expel (something) from the mouth:[~ + object]to spit watermelon seeds.
  3. to sputter:[no object]The grease was spitting in the fire.
  4. spit up, to vomit;
    throw up: [no object]The baby was spitting up.[~ + up + object]The wounded soldier spat up some blood.

n. [uncountable]
  1. Physiologysaliva.
  2. Insectsthe act of spitting.
Idioms
  1. Idioms, Informal Terms spit and image, [uncountable] exact likeness;
    counterpart. Also, spit•ting im•age /ˈspɪtɪŋ ˈɪmədʒ/USA pronunciation .


spit2 /spɪt/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. a pointed rod for piercing and holding meat over a fire.
  2. a narrow point of land sticking out into the water.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
spit1  (spit),USA pronunciation v., spit or spat, spit•ting, n. 
v.i. 
  1. Physiologyto eject saliva from the mouth;
    expectorate.
  2. to express hatred, contempt, etc., by or as if by ejecting saliva from the mouth.
  3. to sputter:grease spitting on the fire.
  4. to fall in scattered drops or flakes, as rain or snow.

v.t. 
  1. to eject from the mouth:The children were spitting watermelon seeds over the fence.
  2. to throw out or emit like saliva:The kettle spits boiling water over the stove.
  3. to set a flame to.
  4. spit up, to vomit;
    throw up:The wounded soldier spat up blood. If you jostle the baby, she'll spit up.

n. 
  1. Physiologysaliva, esp. when ejected.
  2. the act of spitting.
  3. Insects[Entomol.]spittle.
  4. Meteorologya light fall of rain or snow.
  5. Informal Terms spit and image. Also, spitting image, spit 'n' image. exact likeness;
    counterpart:Hunched over his desk, pen in hand, he was the spit and image of his father at work.
  • bef. 950; (verb, verbal) Middle English spitten, Old English spittan; cognate with German (dialect, dialectal) spitzen to spit; akin to Old English spǣtan to spit, spātl spittle; (noun, nominal) Middle English, derivative of the verb, verbal
spit′like′, adj. 
    3. spatter.
spit2  (spit),USA pronunciation n., v., spit•ted, spit•ting. 
n. 
  1. a pointed rod or bar for thrusting through and holding meat that is to be cooked before or over a fire.
  2. any of various rods, pins, or the like used for particular purposes.
  3. a narrow point of land projecting into the water.
  4. a long, narrow shoal extending from the shore.

v.t. 
  1. to pierce, stab, or transfix, as with a spit;
    impale on something sharp.
  2. to thrust a spit into or through.
  • bef. 1000; Middle English spite, Old English spitu; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German spit, spet, Old High German spiz spit; akin to Old Norse spīta peg

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
spit /spɪt/ vb (spits, spitting, spat, spit)
  1. (intransitive) to expel saliva from the mouth; expectorate
  2. (intransitive) informal to show disdain or hatred by spitting
  3. (of a fire, hot fat, etc) to eject (fragments of coal, sparks, etc) violently and with an explosive sound; splutter
  4. (intransitive) to rain very lightly
  5. (transitive) often followed by out: to eject or discharge (something) from the mouth: he spat the food out, to spit blood
  6. (transitive) often followed by out: to utter (short sharp words or syllables), esp in a violent manner
  7. spit it out! ⇒ Brit informal a command given to someone that he or she should speak forthwith
  8. spit nails ⇒ informal to be extremely angry
 n
  1. another name for spittle
  2. a light or brief fall of rain, snow, etc
  3. the act or an instance of spitting
  4. informal chiefly Brit
    another word for spitting image
Etymology: Old English spittan; related to spǣtan to spit, German dialect spitzenˈspitter n
spit /spɪt/ n
  1. a pointed rod on which meat is skewered and roasted before or over an open fire
  2. Also called: rotisserie, rotating spit a similar device rotated by electricity or clockwork, fitted onto a cooker
  3. an elongated often hooked strip of sand or shingle projecting from the shore, deposited by longshore drift, and usually above water
 vb (spits, spitting, spitted)
  1. (transitive) to impale on or transfix with or as if with a spit
Etymology: Old English spitu; related to Old High German spiz spit, Norwegian spit tip
'spat' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
calcspar - feldspar - gaiter - spathic - spit - bicker - outspit or - row - tiff - spatter - spatter cone - spatter dash - spatula

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Look up "spat" at Merriam-Webster
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