spawn
spawn — noun
1. the small, soft eggs that fish, frogs, and other water animals lay together in a
the small, soft eggs that fish, frogs, and other water animals lay together in a sticky mass in the water.
Élise and Trang watched the frog spawn floating near the edge of the pond.
uncountable noun with modifier: frog spawn
During spring, the shallow stream was filled with sticky frog spawn.
Scientists collect salmon spawn every year to study the young fish.
A single carp can release thousands of eggs in one mass of spawn.
用法筆記
Treated as an uncountable noun even though it refers to many small eggs. You say 'some spawn' or 'a mass of spawn,' never 'a spawn' or 'two spawns.'
常見錯誤
2. an animal's baby or a person's child, seen primarily as an extension or outcome
an animal's baby or a person's child, seen primarily as an extension or outcome of their parent — often used playfully, or to show that the speaker is not particularly impressed.
The old cat brought her newest spawn into the kitchen and meowed for milk.
humorous use for animal young
Yara laughed and said her neighbour's spawn had drawn all over the wall with crayons.
informal, slightly dismissive
The new smartphone is the spawn of years of research at the small lab.
Every afternoon the park filled with tiny spawn running around the playground.
用法筆記
Strongly informal. Using 'spawn' for a person's children can sound rude or dismissive unless the context is clearly playful. Avoid in formal writing about families. The figurative use ('the spawn of years of work') is neutral and can appear in semi-formal contexts.
常見錯誤
3. a character or object that a video game makes available when a player reaches a
a character or object that a video game makes available when a player reaches a certain point; also the place or process of such arrivals — for example, the spot where new enemies materialise in a level, or the moment a rare item becomes accessible.
Arjun found a rare spawn of creepers deep inside the cave.
countable: a rare spawn
The game's random spawn system puts enemies in places no one expects.
Henry marked the spawn of valuable items on his in-game map.
Players complained when the boss spawn appeared too early in the level.
用法筆記
Used both as a countable noun ('a rare spawn') and as an uncountable noun referring to the mechanism ('the spawn system'). In gamer slang, 'spawn camping' means waiting at a spawn point to attack characters the moment they appear.
spawn — verb
1. to cause a large number of new things, events, or ideas to appear or develop, of
to cause a large number of new things, events, or ideas to appear or develop, often suddenly — for example, a piece of technology that creates an entire industry, or a conflict that produces many related problems.
The new railway line spawned dozens of small shops along the route.
spawn + noun phrase (concrete result)
Omar's simple invention spawned a whole new way for people to communicate online.
spawn + abstract noun phrase
The long drought spawned fierce conflicts between farmers over the remaining water.
Social media has spawned many new types of small online businesses in recent years.
Kemi's workshop spawned ideas that changed how the school taught art to young children.
- generate
more neutral and widely applicable; lacks the 'sudden large-scale' nuance of spawn
- produce
broader in meaning; used for both concrete items and abstract results
- give rise to
more formal; focuses on causation rather than scale
- breed
similar biological metaphor; has a more negative connotation than spawn
文法句型
spawn + noun phrase
be spawned (passive)
用法筆記
Unlike 'produce' or 'create,' spawn emphasises that the result appears in large numbers or across a wide area, often in a way the original cause did not plan or intend. The subject is usually an event, condition, invention, or idea — rarely a person acting deliberately.
常見錯誤
2. (in video games) to show up in the game world as part of the game's mechanics; o
(in video games) to show up in the game world as part of the game's mechanics; or to place a character, object, or enemy into the game — for example, enemies that arrive at a location when a player enters it, or a player who returns to a starting point after losing a life.
New enemies spawn at random points every time you enter the dark forest.
intransitive: enemies spawn
Yan waited near the bridge for the treasure chest to spawn.
The game spawns fresh opponents at each checkpoint along the mountain road.
Quinn's character did not spawn properly after the game server crashed.
Fresh supplies spawn every morning at the same location inside the camp.
文法句型
[character/object] spawns (intransitive)
spawn + [character/object] (transitive)
用法筆記
The most common use in online gaming communities. Transitive use ('the game spawns enemies') is typical when describing game design; intransitive use ('enemies spawn') is more common in player-to-player talk. The past tense is 'spawned' (not 'spawn' — that would be present tense for third-person plural).
常見錯誤
3. (of fish, frogs, and other water animals) to produce and release eggs into the w
(of fish, frogs, and other water animals) to produce and release eggs into the water, usually in large numbers and at a particular time of year such as spring.
Salmon swim hundreds of miles upstream each year to spawn in the same river.
intransitive with purpose clause
Frogs usually spawn in warm shallow water after the spring rains begin.
Heloísa watched the aquarium fish spawn among the plastic plants in the tank.
Trout leave the deep lake every spring to spawn in streams above the village.
The pond was full of frogs that had just finished spawning for the season.
- lay eggs
the general term for egg-producing animals; spawn is more specific to water animals
- produce eggs
more formal and technical; less commonly used in nature writing
文法句型
[fish/frog] spawns (intransitive)
spawn + eggs (transitive, less common)
用法筆記
Primarily intransitive — you say 'the frogs spawn in spring,' not 'the frogs spawn eggs.' The transitive form ('the fish spawns millions of eggs') exists but is far less common. In everyday English, this sense has been somewhat replaced by 'lay eggs' for most animals, but 'spawn' remains the standard word for fish and frogs.