SPITTING

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does spitting mean? 

• SPITTING (noun)
  The noun SPITTING has 1 sense:

1. the act of spitting (forcefully expelling saliva)

  Familiarity information: SPITTING used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPITTING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of spitting (forcefully expelling saliva)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

expectoration; spit; spitting

Hypernyms ("spitting" is a kind of...):

ejection; expulsion; forcing out; projection (the act of expelling or projecting or ejecting)

Derivation:

spit (expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth)

 Context examples 

“You seem to have a lot to say,” remarked Silver, spitting far into the air.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Coughing or spitting up blood from the respiratory tract.

(Hemoptysis, NCI Dictionary)

To clear material from the throat or lungs by coughing it up and spitting it out.

(Expectorate, NCI Thesaurus)

Then at last he broke out at me, spitting and cursing, with murder in his eyes and a great clasp-knife in his hand.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Then, when he sprang out upon it, it would transform itself into an electric car, menacing and terrible, towering over him like a mountain, screaming and clanging and spitting fire at him.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

And Martin, head on arms, thrilled at the picture he caught of himself, at that moment in the afternoon of long ago, when he reeled and panted and choked with the blood that ran into his mouth and down his throat from his cut lips; when he tottered toward Cheese-Face, spitting out a mouthful of blood so that he could speak, crying out that he would never quit, though Cheese-Face could give in if he wanted to.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

When they were all unloaded and packed in a great heap in one corner of the yard, the Slovaks were given some money by the Szgany, and spitting on it for luck, lazily went each to his horse's head.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

At the same instant I heard the crash of Lord John's elephant-gun, and, looking up, saw one of the creatures with a broken wing struggling upon the ground, spitting and gurgling at us with a wide-opened beak and blood-shot, goggled eyes, like some devil in a medieval picture.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There was a tremendous snarling and spitting and screeching.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

George Merry was at the door, spitting and spluttering over some bad-tasted medicine; but at the first word of the doctor's proposal he swung round with a deep flush and cried “No!” and swore.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)