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
Synonyms
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
Ars Technica, 17 Jan. 2025
And a ceasefire does nothing to address the underlying conflict that spawned the war.
—Joseph Krauss, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Steelhead trout are the same species as rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, but unlike their freshwater-dwelling relatives, steelheads spend much of their lives feeding in the ocean and return to their natal streams to spawn.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for spawn 
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Verb
The series spawned a spin-off prequel movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992), and a 2017 revival series, Twin Peaks: The Return, that picks up the storyline 25 years later.
—Ars Technica, 17 Jan. 2025
And a ceasefire does nothing to address the underlying conflict that spawned the war.
—Joseph Krauss, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
Keep an eye out on the island map to see where the portal spawns, and always drive towards it.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Steelhead trout are the same species as rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, but unlike their freshwater-dwelling relatives, steelheads spend much of their lives feeding in the ocean and return to their natal streams to spawn.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for spawn
Dictionary Entries Near spawn
Cite this Entry
“Spawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spawn. Accessed 22 Jan. 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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