verb

spucken

spit

Flüssigkeit mit Kraft aus dem Mund ausstoßen.

Definition & meaning

spucken means to spit—to force saliva or another substance out of the mouth. It can be used on its own or with an object:

Er spuckte auf den Boden. — “He spat on the ground.”
Sie spuckte den Kern aus. — “She spat out the seed.”

In colloquial German, spucken can also mean to vomit.

Grammar & word origin

spucken is a regular, weak verb:

Present: ich spucke
Simple past: ich spuckte
Perfect: ich habe gespuckt

It can be used intransitively (spucken) or transitively with something being spat out (etwas spucken). The verb is of imitative origin, echoing the sound of spitting.

Synonyms & antonyms

speien — to spit or spew; often sounds more forceful, literary, or dramatic than spucken.
ausspucken — to spit something out; emphasizes that something is expelled from the mouth.
erbrechen — to vomit; more precise and generally less colloquial when describing vomiting.
schlucken — to swallow; an opposite when contrasting expelling something from the mouth with taking it in.

Common phrases & collocations

auf den Boden spucken — to spit on the ground
etwas ausspucken — to spit something out
Blut spucken — to spit blood
Feuer spucken — literally, to breathe or spit fire; also used figuratively for someone expressing great anger