SKIP TO CONTENT

spittoon

/spɪˈtun/
IPA guide

Other forms: spittoons

A spittoon is a bowl or other container that's made for spitting into. Your tobacco-chewing uncle might keep a spittoon on his porch.

Spittoons are fairly old fashioned — in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was common to find public spittoons, usually made of brass, in places like banks and hotels. You can really call anything that's used to hold saliva a spittoon, like a beer can or a coffee mug, although the word thankfully doesn't come up as frequently as it used to, since chewing tobacco is less common. In the late 1600s, it was called a spitting box.

Definitions of spittoon
  1. noun
    a receptacle for spit (usually in a public place)
    synonyms: cuspidor
    see moresee less
    type of:
    receptacle
    a container that is used to put or keep things in
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘spittoon'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family