[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/spawn/)

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# spawn

verb (spawn, spawns, spawned, spawning); noun (spawn — uncountable: frogspawn)

«spawn» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. When fish or frogs spawn, they lay lots of eggs in water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#m1)
2. Spawn is the mass of eggs laid by fish, frogs or toads, like frogspawn. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#m2)
3. To spawn something means to cause many new things to appear, as in the film spawned three sequels. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#m3)
4. (games) In video games, to spawn means for a player or character to appear in the game world; the spawn point is where they appear. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#m4)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on life cycles, frogs lay frogspawn in ponds in spring; it hatches into tadpoles. Salmon swim upriver to spawn. In computer games, players spawn and respawn after losing a life. In everyday talk, one popular thing can spawn many copies.

### Examples

- Frogs spawn in ponds in early spring. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#x1)
- We saw a clump of frogspawn in the school pond. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#x2)
- Salmon swim up the river to spawn. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#x3)
- The film spawned a whole series of toys. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#x4)
- In the game you spawn next to a castle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#x5)
- After you lose a life, you respawn at the last checkpoint. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#x6)
- Zombies spawn at night in that game. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/#x7)

### Note

Spawn as a noun is uncountable: some spawn, not a spawn. Frogspawn is written as one word. Respawn means spawn again. Older and formal use: spawn can sound negative, as in spawn of the devil in old stories.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «spawn» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spawn/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«spawn» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/spawn.html) on Mova free.