Etymology Recorded since 1413; from Middle English spawnen, from Anglo-Norman espaundre, from Old French espandre, from Latin expandere (“stretch out; spread out”, verb). Doublet of expand. Compare also Middle English spalden, spolden, spawden (“to cut open (a fish)”).
To generate, bring into being, especially nonmammalian beings in very large numbers.
3
To bring forth in general.
The web server spawns a new process to handle each client's request.
Weather Underground, a covert organization that spawned countless other would-be revolutionary cadres - the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), the Black Liberation Army, the May 19 Communist Organization each of which2005, McSweeney's Pub., LLC (publisher), The Believer, volume 3, numbers 1-5, page 26:
4
To induce (aquatic organisms) to spawn.
5
To plant with fungal spawn.
6
To deposit (numerous) eggs in water.
Alewives are anadromous fish: Born in freshwater, they spend their lives in the ocean, returning annually to their birthplaces to spawn.2014 April 20, Richard Conniff, “An evolutionary family drama”, in The New York Times:
7
To reproduce, especially in large numbers.
8
Video gamesErgative To appear, or cause (something or someone) to appear, spontaneously in a game world at a particular place and time.
We put down torches to stop creepers from spawning.
9
Internet, Ergative, Figuratively To appear, or cause (something or someone) to appear, unexpectedly and seemingly out of nowhere.
Where did he come from? Bro just spawned in.
Mavs fans really be spawning out of nowhere.2022 April 21, @BibsCorner, Twitter, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2024:
4 more examples
So many virgos have spawned in my life lately2022 May 24, @ambarlucid, Twitter, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2024:
I swear a new vtuber with 250,000 subscribers and wildly transphobic views just spawns every other fucking week2023 March 10, u/beskardboard, “rule”, in Reddit, r/196, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2024:
rizz so strong the bf just spawned out of nowhere2023 March 22, @pickuplinesonig, Twitter, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2024:
bro jus spawns in when the word cuck is mentioned2023 July 9, @upblissed, Twitter, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2024:
That kid just spawned and looks like he's already done with life.
I spawned in Turkey. I wasn't given an option on difficulty. It was automatically set on the hardest.2021 April 16, u/crippl3r, “Life, the game!”, in Reddit, r/teenagers, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2024:
2 more examples
Oh he is entirely too smol! Just spawned and already running a drug ring!! ❤️2023 March 15, u/The-Clumsy-Pirate, “This is OB, short for Orca Beaver for obvious reasons. Children's Tylenol 5ml smol syringe for comparisson.”, in Reddit, r/IllegallySmolCats, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2024:
dude literally just spawned and already gave up2024 January 11, @bassantaz, Twitter, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2024:
Even the blithely unselfconscious Homer is more than a little freaked out by West’s private reverie, and encourages his spawn to move slowly away without making eye contact with the crazy man.2012 June 3, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Mr. Plow” (season 4, episode 9; originally aired 11/19/1992)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):