spawn

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spawn¹

  • /spɔːn/ UK
  • /spɔn/ US
  • /spɑn/ cot caught merger

Rhymes with -ɔːn

Where it comes from

Recorded since 1413; from Middle English spawnen, from Anglo-Norman espaundre, from Old French espandre, from Latin expandere (“stretch out; spread out”, verb). Doublet of expand. Compare also Middle English spalden, spolden, spawden (“to cut open (a fish)”).

verb spawns · spawning · spawned

  1. transitive To produce or deposit (eggs) in water. A frog spawns thousands of tadpoles every year.
  2. transitive To generate, bring into being, especially nonmammalian beings in very large numbers.
  3. transitive To bring forth in general. The web server spawns a new process to handle each client's request.
  4. transitive To induce (aquatic organisms) to spawn.
  5. transitive To plant with fungal spawn.
  6. intransitive To deposit (numerous) eggs in water. Alewives are anadromous fish: Born in freshwater, they spend their lives in the ocean, returning annually to their birthplaces to spawn.
  7. intransitive To reproduce, especially in large numbers.
  8. ergative To appear, or cause (something or someone) to appear, spontaneously in a game world at a particular place and time. We put down torches to stop creepers from spawning.
  9. Internet, ergative, figuratively To appear, or cause (something or someone) to appear, unexpectedly and seemingly out of nowhere. Where did he come from? Bro just spawned in.
  10. Internet, figuratively, humorous, intransitive Of a person or non-egglaying animal: to be born. That kid just spawned and looks like he's already done with life.

spawn²

  • /spɔːn/ UK
  • /spɔn/ US
  • /spɑn/ cot caught merger

Rhymes with -ɔːn

Where it comes from

From Middle English spawne, from the verb (see above).

noun spawn · spawns

  1. countable, uncountable The numerous eggs of an aquatic organism.
  2. countable, uncountable Mushroom mycelium prepared for (aided) propagation.
  3. countable, uncountable Any germ or seed, even a figurative source. This dreadful idea is the spawn of a large business conglomerate.
  4. countable, derogatory, often, uncountable Children; offspring. Even the blithely unselfconscious Homer is more than a little freaked out by West’s private reverie, and encourages his spawn to move slowly away without making eye contact with the crazy man.
  5. countable, uncountable The buds or branches produced from underground stems.
  6. countable, uncountable Synonym of spawn point.

    Similar: spawn point

Spawn³

proper noun

  1. A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: breed, engender, brood, kipper, frog, herring, carp, oviposit, breeding, reproduction, beget, birth, hobnob, pave, launch, lay

Translations

Every language

verb to produce or deposit (eggs) in water

Españoldesovar, frezar
日本語産卵する sanran suru
Portuguêsdesovar
Françaisfrayer
Deutschablaichen, laichen
Italianodeporre le uova
Русскиймета́ть metátʹ

verb to generate, bring into being, especially non-mammalian beings in very large numbers

Portuguêsgerar
Françaisengendrer
Deutscherzeugen, hervorbringen
Русскийпорожда́ть poroždátʹ

verb to bring forth in general

Españolengendrar
Portuguêsgerar
Françaisengendrer
Deutscherzeugen
Italianogenerare, dare alla luce

verb to deposit (numerous) eggs in water

Españoldesovar, frezar
Deutschlaichen
Русскийнерести́ться nerestítʹsja

verb to reproduce, especially in large numbers

Deutsch(sich wie Karnickel) sich vermehren
Русскийплоди́ться plodítʹsja

verb to appear spontaneously in a game at a certain point and time

Españolspawnear, engendrarse, aparecer
日本語スポーンする supōn suru
中文生成 shēngchéng
Portuguêsspawnar
Françaisapparaître, poper
Deutschspawnen, erscheinen
Italianospawnare
Românăspawna
Русскийпоявиться pojavitjsja, заспавниться zaspavnitjsja

verb to cause to appear spontaneously in a game

日本語スポーンさせる supōn saseru

noun any germ or seed, even a figurative source; offspring

Françaisrejeton
DeutschAusgeburt, Ausgeburt des Teufels
Русскийпото́мство potómstvo, вы́водок vývodok, порожде́ние poroždénije, отро́дье otródʹje

noun the numerous eggs of an aquatic organism

Españolfreza, desove
日本語卵 tamago, -子
中文魚子 /鱼子 yúzǐ, 魚卵 /鱼卵 yúluǎn, 卵 luǎn
Portuguêsova
Françaisfrai
DeutschLaich, Fischlaich, Froschlaich
Românăicre
Русскийикра́ ikrá

noun mushroom mycelium prepared for (aided) propagation

DeutschMyzelfäden
Русскийгрибни́ца gribníca, мице́лий micélij, спора spora

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MLA

"spawn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spawn. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

spawn. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spawn

Chicago

"spawn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spawn.

BibTeX
@misc{spawn_2026,
  title = {spawn},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spawn},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}