# spawn

/ˈspɑn/ (US) · /spˈɔːn/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/spawn
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. fish laying eggs

verb · CEFR B2 · Technical

to produce or lay eggs in water, usually in large numbers.

For teachers: to deposit or release eggs; used of aquatic animals such as fish, crustaceans, or amphibians.

- Every year, the salmon swim upstream to spawn in the shallow water.
- Environmental changes in the river system have significantly altered the timing of when local trout species begin to spawn.

Usage: Often used as an intransitive verb in biological contexts.

### 3. appearing in a game

verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to appear suddenly in a specific place in a video game.

For teachers: to appear, or cause an entity to appear, at a specific coordinate within a virtual game environment.

- The monsters spawn every ten minutes near the entrance of the cave.
- Players often complain about enemies spawning directly behind them during intense combat sequences.

Usage: Used as an ergative verb; the subject can be the thing appearing or the system creating it.

### 4. fish eggs

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a large mass of eggs from a fish or frog.

For teachers: the mass of eggs deposited by aquatic animals.

- We saw frog spawn floating in the pond during our walk.
- The researchers collected samples of the spawn to determine the health of the local amphibian population.

### 5. offspring

noun · CEFR C2 · Humorous · Informal

a person's children or descendants, often used in a mean or funny way.

For teachers: offspring or descendants; frequently used in a derogatory or humorous sense to imply a large or unwanted number.

- He joked that his sister's spawn were taking over the entire house.
- The villain in the story was described as the spawn of a dark and ancient power.

Teaching tip: When used for humans, this is almost always metaphorical and can be offensive if not used jokingly among friends.

## Examples

- The successful movie spawned several sequels.
- The tech giant's new software platform is expected to spawn a whole industry of third-party applications.
- In the shallow waters of the reef, thousands of fish gather to spawn simultaneously, a biological event that attracts predators from across the ocean.

---

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.