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Definition of spawn verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

spawn

verb
 
/spɔːn/
 
/spɔːn/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they spawn
 
/spɔːn/
 
/spɔːn/
he / she / it spawns
 
/spɔːnz/
 
/spɔːnz/
past simple spawned
 
/spɔːnd/
 
/spɔːnd/
past participle spawned
 
/spɔːnd/
 
/spɔːnd/
-ing form spawning
 
/ˈspɔːnɪŋ/
 
/ˈspɔːnɪŋ/
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  1. [intransitive, transitive] spawn (something) (of fish, frogs, etc.) to lay eggs
  2. [transitive] spawn something (often disapproving) to cause something to develop or be produced
    • The band's album spawned a string of hit singles.
    Topics Change, cause and effectc2
  3. [intransitive, transitive] (of a character or object in a video game) to appear or be created
    • Attackers were spawning from all kinds of unexpected places.
    • spawn somebody/something I upgraded the city to spawn a giant.
    Topics Games and toysc2
  4. Word Originlate Middle English: shortening of Anglo-Norman French espaundre ‘to shed roe’, variant of Old French espandre ‘pour out’, from Latin expandere ‘expand’.
See spawn in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee spawn in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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