# silver spoon

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/silver-spoon
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Wealth passed down or inherited.

## Examples

- He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
- You do not need a silver spoon to become a successful business owner.
- She never had to work a day in her life because she was born with a silver spoon.
- The politician tried to act like a normal person, but everyone knew he grew up with a silver spoon and never worried about bills.
- Despite his lack of professional experience, his family's silver spoon ensured he secured the executive position without any real competition.

## Origin

The term originates in 18th-century European table-setting customs, a period during which diners were expected to provide their own utensils for a meal. Members of the land-owning classes distinguished themselves from the peasantry by carrying silver cutlery, a practice that established silver as the standard material for the elite and gave rise to the term silverware. The presence of such an object at a birth indicated an immediate entry into the property-holding class without the inconvenience of social mobility.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.