/ spaʊt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a pipe or tube on a container, that you can pour liquid out through :
the spout of a teapot
2.
a stream of liquid coming out of somewhere with great force
SYN fountain
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IDIOMS
- be / go up the spout
■ verb
1.
to send out sth, especially a liquid, in a stream with great force; to come out of sth in this way
SYN pour :
[ vn ]
The wound was still spouting blood.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] :
Clear water spouted from the fountains.
2.
[ v ] ( of a whale ) to send out a stream of water from a hole in its head
3.
spout (off / on) (about sth) ( informal , disapproving ) to speak a lot about sth; to repeat sth in a boring or annoying way :
[ v ]
He's always spouting off about being a vegetarian.
What are you spouting on about now?
[ vn ]
He could spout poetry for hours.
She could do nothing but spout insults.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (as a verb): from Middle Dutch spouten , from an imitative base shared by Old Norse spýta to spit.