Standard Lemma guide

tablespoon

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈteɪbəlˌspuːn/
  • Received-Pronunciation: [-bɫ̩-]
  • General-American: /ˈteɪbəlˌspun/
  • General-American: [-bɫ̩-]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T EY1 B AH0 L S P UW2 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A large spoon, used for eating food from a bowl.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dessertspoon, dessert spoon

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A spoon too large for eating, usually used for cooking or serving.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, New-Zealand, Northern-UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A unit of volume, the value of which varies regionally; in the US: three teaspoons or one half fluid ounce or roughly 15 ml; in Britain and Canada: exactly 15 ml; in Russia 18 ml; in Australia: four teaspoons or 20 ml.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: cooking, food, lifestyle

Examples

  • 1995 May 22, Salad Recipes, New York, page 51, Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet until hot and quickly saute the goat-cheese buttons on both sides until brown.
  • 2006, Tempted: 150 Very Wicked Desserts, Murdoch Books, UK, copyright page, If you are using a 15 ml (3 teaspoon) tablespoon, for most recipes the difference will not be noticeable.
  • 2012, James Armstrong, Kellee Hollyman, General, Organic, and Biochemistry: An Applied Approach, Cengage Learning, US, page 27, The problem gives us a number of tablespoons of cooking oil and asks us to convert this amount into milliliters. We are also told that one tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons, but this is a relationship between two units, not an actual measurement.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tablespoonful, tbsp, tbs, f℥ss, f℥ß

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a spoon larger than a dessert spoon; used for serving

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: spoon

5

noun

Meaning 5

as much as a tablespoon will hold

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: tablespoonful

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: containerful

History

Etymology

From table + spoon.

Across languages

Translations

96 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: супена лъжица (supena lǎžica) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Catalan: cullera de sopa — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Chinese Cantonese: 湯匙 /汤匙 (tong1 ci4) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Chinese Cantonese: 湯羹 /汤羹 — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大湯匙 /大汤匙 (dà tāngchí) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Chinese Mandarin: 湯匙 /汤匙 (tāngchí) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Czech: lžíce — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Czech: polévková lžíce — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Danish: spiseske — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Dutch: eetlepel — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Dutch: soeplepel — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Esperanto: supkulero — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Finnish: ruokalusikka — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • French: cuillère à soupe — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • French: grande cuillère — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Georgian: სუფრის კოვზი (supris ḳovzi) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • German: Esslöffel — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Greek: κουτάλι (koutáli) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Greek: κουτάλι σούπας (koutáli soúpas) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Hebrew: כַּף — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Hungarian: evőkanál — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Icelandic: matskeið — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Ingrian: söökkilusikka — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Irish: spúnóg mhór — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Italian: cucchiaio da tavola — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Japanese: さじ (saji) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Japanese: スプーン (supūn) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Japanese: テーブルスプーン (tēburusupūn) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Korean: 테이블스푼 (teibeulseupun) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Lithuanian: valgomasis šaukštas — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Luxembourgish: Iessläffel — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Manx: spein buird — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Marathi: मोठा चमचा (moṭhā camcā) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Norwegian: suppeskje — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Plautdietsch: Ätläpel — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Polish: łyżka — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Polish: łyżka stołowa — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Portuguese: colher — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Portuguese: colher de sopa — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Russian: столо́вая ло́жка (stolóvaja lóžka) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Russian: ло́жка (lóžka) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Russian: супова́я ло́жка (supovája lóžka) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Scottish Gaelic: spàin-bhùird — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Serbo-Croatian: ка̀шика — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Serbo-Croatian: жли̏ца — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Serbo-Croatian: лижка — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Serbo-Croatian: kàšika — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Serbo-Croatian: žlȉca — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Serbo-Croatian: ližka — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Slovak: lyžica — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Spanish: cuchara de sopa — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Spanish: cuchara — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Turkish: yemek kaşığı — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Ukrainian: столо́ва ло́жка (stolóva lóžka) — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Vietnamese: muỗng canh — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Volapük: fidaspun — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Waray-Waray: kutsara — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Welsh: llwy fwrdd — a large spoon, used for eating food
  • Danish: grydeske — Australia: a spoon for cooking
  • Finnish: keittolusikka — Australia: a spoon for cooking
  • French: louche — Australia: a spoon for cooking
  • French: cuiller à pot — Australia: a spoon for cooking
  • German: Kochlöffel — Australia: a spoon for cooking
  • Greek: κουτάλα (koutála) — Australia: a spoon for cooking
  • Māori: pune nui — Australia: a spoon for cooking
  • Bulgarian: супена лъжица (supena lǎžica) — a unit of measure
  • Catalan: cullerada — a unit of measure
  • Czech: polévková lžíce — a unit of measure
  • Czech: lžíce — a unit of measure
  • Danish: spiseske — a unit of measure
  • Danish: spiseskefuld — a unit of measure
  • Dutch: eetlepel — a unit of measure
  • Esperanto: supkulero — a unit of measure
  • Finnish: ruokalusikallinen — a unit of measure
  • Finnish: ruokalusikka — a unit of measure
  • French: cuillère à soupe — a unit of measure
  • German: Esslöffel — a unit of measure
  • Greek: κουταλιά (koutaliá) — a unit of measure
  • Greek: κουταλιά της σούπας (koutaliá tis soúpas) — a unit of measure
  • Gujarati: ચમચો (camco) — a unit of measure
  • Icelandic: matskeið — a unit of measure
  • Italian: cucchiaiata — a unit of measure
  • Japanese: 大さじ (ōsaji) — a unit of measure
  • Korean: 큰술 (keunsul) — a unit of measure
  • Ladino: kucharika — a unit of measure
  • Polish: łyżka — a unit of measure
  • Polish: łyżka stołowa — a unit of measure
  • Portuguese: colher de sopa — a unit of measure
  • Romanian: lingură — a unit of measure
  • Russian: столо́вая ло́жка (stolóvaja lóžka) — a unit of measure
  • Scottish Gaelic: spàin-bhùird — a unit of measure
  • Spanish: cucharada — a unit of measure
  • Swedish: matsked — a unit of measure
  • Thai: ช้อนโต๊ะ (chɔ́ɔn-dtó) — a unit of measure
  • Turkish: yemek kaşığı — a unit of measure
  • Welsh: llwy fwrdd — a unit of measure
Real reading context

tablespoon in complete knowledge articles