spit

Universal Words verb, noun verb (spitting, spat, spat ) HELPNOTE spit is also sometimes used for the past tense and past participle, especially in AmE.( from mouth 1 [VN] ~ sth )out( to force liquid, food, etc. out of your mouth: She took a mouthful of food and then suddenly spat it out. * He was spitting blood from a badly cut lip. 2 [V] ~ )at / on sb/sth( to force SALIVA )= the liquid that is produced in the mouth( out of your mouth, often as a sign of anger or lack of respect: He coughed and spat. * The prisoners were spat on by their guards. * She spat in his face and went out. * A gang of youths swore and spat at officials outside the stadium. say sth angrily 3 to say sth in an angry or forceful way: [Vspeech] 'You liar!' she spat. * [VN] He was dragged out of the court, spitting abuse at the judge and jury. of an animal 4 [V] to make a short angry sound: Snakes spit and hiss when they are cornered. * The cat arched its back and spat at the dog. of sth cooking / burning 5 [V] to make a noise and throw out fat, SPARKS, etc: sausages spitting in the frying pan * The logs on the fire crackled and spat. rain 6 [V] )informal( )only used in the progressive tenses( when it is spitting, it is raining lightly IDIOMS spit it out )spoken( usually used in orders to tell sb to say sth when they seem frightened or unwilling to speak: If you've got something to say, spit it out! spit venom / blood to show that you are very angry; to speak in an angry way: She looked at him with eyes that spat venom. within spitting distance )of sth( )BrE( )also within shouting distance AmE, BrE( )spoken, informal( very close: We live within spitting distance of the bus station. moreatIMAGE PHRASALVERBS spit up )AmE, informal( )especially of a baby( to VOMIT noun in / from mouth 1 [U] the liquid that is produced in your mouth SYNSALIVA 2 [C,usually sing.] the act of spitting liquid or food out of your mouth piece of land 3 [C] a long thin piece of land that sticks out into the sea/ocean, a lake, etc: a shingle spit * a remote spit of land on the coast for cooking meat 4 [C] a long thin metal rod that you put through meat to hold and turn it while you cook it over a fire: chickens roasting on a spit IDIOMS spit and polish )informal( thorough cleaning and polishing of sth