# spitting

/ˈspɪtɪŋ/ (US) · /spˈɪtɪŋ/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. light rain

verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

raining very lightly.

For teachers: precipitating in very small, light drops; used with the impersonal 'it'.

- You don't need an umbrella yet; it's only spitting.
- It was only spitting when we left the house, but by the time we reached the station, the light drizzle had turned into a downpour.

Usage: Almost always used with the dummy subject 'it' in a continuous tense.

### 2. ejecting saliva

verb · CEFR B1

forcing liquid or food out of your mouth.

For teachers: the act of forcibly ejecting saliva or other substances from the mouth.

- The player was penalized for spitting on the grass during the game.
- The toddler kept spitting out his vegetables, much to the frustration of his parents who were trying to encourage a balanced diet.

### 3. speaking angrily

verb · CEFR B2

saying something in a very angry or aggressive way.

For teachers: uttering words with a sharp, hissing sound, typically as an expression of intense anger or contempt.

- He was spitting mad by the time the manager arrived to help.
- She was spitting insults at the driver who had nearly caused a collision by changing lanes without signaling.

### 4. expectoration

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

the act of clearing liquid from the throat or mouth.

For teachers: the act of expectorating; the discharge of phlegm or saliva.

- The old medical book described the patient's constant spitting as a symptom.
- In nineteenth-century clinical observations, frequent spitting was often recorded as a primary indicator of advanced respiratory distress.

Teaching tip: This noun sense is largely replaced by 'expectoration' in modern medicine or 'spit' in common speech.

## Examples

- It is not raining hard yet, just spitting.
- The angry player was fined after spitting on the grass during the match.
- As the dark clouds gathered over the valley, the sky began spitting a fine mist that barely dampened the parched earth.

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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.