# wooden spoon

idiom

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

## Meaning

An ironic prize for finishing last in a competition.

## Examples

- He won the wooden spoon for coming last in the race.
- After losing every match, our team took home the wooden spoon with good-natured embarrassment.
- Despite months of preparation, the debate team earned the wooden spoon, finishing below schools that had scarcely trained at all.

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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.