spawned; spawning; spawns
1
: to deposit or fertilize spawn
2
: to produce young especially in large numbers
1
a
: to produce or deposit (eggs)
—used of an aquatic animal
b
: to induce (fish) to spawn
c
: to plant with mushroom spawn
2
: bring forth, generate
the idea spawned controversy
spawner
noun
Examples of spawn in a Sentence
Verb
The health-food craze spawned a multimillion-dollar industry.
the incident that spawned a generation of student protests
a TV show that spawned a host of imitations
Noun
Pacific salmon return to Alaskan streams to deposit their spawn.
sometimes I think those little brats are the spawn of Satan himself
Recent Examples on the Web
Danielle Directo-Meston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
The storms were fueled by a stationary atmospheric river last week that spawned dozens of tornadoes and overwhelmed communities with up to 16 inches of rain in four days – a 100-to-1,000-year rainfall event, meteorologists said.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
Michael Harley, Arkansas Online, 31 Mar. 2025
But since most coral species only spawn once each year, Liao assumed Porites rus was also an annual spawner.
—Brianna Randall, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spawn
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Verb
The Handmaid’s Tale has already spawned a spinoff, The Testaments, that will star Lucy Halliday in the lead role opposite Dowd and Chase Infiniti.
—Danielle Directo-Meston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
The storms were fueled by a stationary atmospheric river last week that spawned dozens of tornadoes and overwhelmed communities with up to 16 inches of rain in four days – a 100-to-1,000-year rainfall event, meteorologists said.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
Popular Stories Gentry officer fired, decertification sought after improper interview
Storm front spawns tornado, large hail in northeast Arkansas
Officials seek to get ahead of potential property, title theft
Conway venue hosts Enchanted!
—Michael Harley, Arkansas Online, 31 Mar. 2025
But since most coral species only spawn once each year, Liao assumed Porites rus was also an annual spawner.
—Brianna Randall, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spawn
Cite this Entry
“Spawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spawn. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spawn
1 of 2 verb
ˈspȯn 
ˈspän
1
: to deposit or fertilize eggs
fish swimming upstream to spawn
2
: to produce young especially in large numbers
3
spawner
noun
spawn
2 of 2 noun1
: the eggs of aquatic animals (as fishes or oysters) that lay many small eggs
2
: product sense 2, offspring
also
: something produced in large quantities
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