spud
1 of 2verb
ˈspəd 
spudded; spudding
transitive verb
1
: to dig with a spud
2
: to begin to drill (an oil well)
intransitive verb
: to use a spud
spud
2 of 2noun
1
: a tool or device (as for digging, lifting, or cutting) having the characteristics of a spade and a chisel
2
: potato sense 2b
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
The Editors, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2019 The old days of spudding a hole in a foot of ice and huddling and freezing over it for hours on an upturned five-gallon pail are just that—the old days. The Editors, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2019 The Courier-Journal, 24 Aug. 2022 Fund is designed to highlight more one-of-a-kind destination homes like the Big Idaho Potato Hotel in Boise, Idaho, which looks like a giant spud from the outside and features cozy accommodations including a fireplace and antler-carved chandelier. Martine Paris, Bloomberg.com, 23 June 2022 Kick your spud game up a notch with these extra creamy, subtly spicy mashed potatoes. Rebekah Lowin, Country Living, 5 Aug. 2022 Like the cover of the soundtrack album, the Elvis spud holds a ukulele and wears a red Hawaiian shirt and yellow lei. Ken Budd, Washington Post, 25 May 2022 Rather than a spud, the results stipulated that the sample was a tuber — the underground stem of a plant. Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2022 State’s deep roots with tubers pay off as demand sprouts; ‘this spud’s for you’ Gil LaJoie, co-owner of LaJoie Growers, uses a forklift to move potatoes onto a refrigerated boxcar at the company’s packing house in Van Buren, Maine. Jennifer Levitz, WSJ, 23 Mar. 2022 Others thought its shape looked more like a chicken than a spud. Jennifer Calfas, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2022 The steak entrée options include: steak and white cheddar sandwich, steak and gorgonzola salad or loaded steak spud. Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE.com, 11 Feb. 2022 See More
Verb
When the ice is thicker than four to five inches, nobody wants to keep spudding or drilling new holes every time the fish move on. The Editors, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2019 The old days of spudding a hole in a foot of ice and huddling and freezing over it for hours on an upturned five-gallon pail are just that—the old days. The Editors, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2019 Noun
Now, 70 years later, the Chamber of St. Matthews is reviving the spud-tacular celebration. The Courier-Journal, 24 Aug. 2022 Fund is designed to highlight more one-of-a-kind destination homes like the Big Idaho Potato Hotel in Boise, Idaho, which looks like a giant spud from the outside and features cozy accommodations including a fireplace and antler-carved chandelier. Martine Paris, Bloomberg.com, 23 June 2022 Kick your spud game up a notch with these extra creamy, subtly spicy mashed potatoes. Rebekah Lowin, Country Living, 5 Aug. 2022 Like the cover of the soundtrack album, the Elvis spud holds a ukulele and wears a red Hawaiian shirt and yellow lei. Ken Budd, Washington Post, 25 May 2022 Rather than a spud, the results stipulated that the sample was a tuber — the underground stem of a plant. Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2022 State’s deep roots with tubers pay off as demand sprouts; ‘this spud’s for you’ Gil LaJoie, co-owner of LaJoie Growers, uses a forklift to move potatoes onto a refrigerated boxcar at the company’s packing house in Van Buren, Maine. Jennifer Levitz, WSJ, 23 Mar. 2022 Others thought its shape looked more like a chicken than a spud. Jennifer Calfas, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2022 The steak entrée options include: steak and white cheddar sandwich, steak and gorgonzola salad or loaded steak spud. Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE.com, 11 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English spudde dagger
First Known Use
Verb
1652, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
spud
noun
ˈspəd
: any of various small surgical instruments with a shape resembling that of a spade
use of a spud to remove a foreign object from the eye