Phrase guide

wooden spoon

noun · 6 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.

  • /ˈwʊdən spuːn/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A spoon made from wood, commonly used in food preparation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An ironic prize for finishing last in a competition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, New-Zealand, idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The last junior optime who takes a university degree.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Qualifier: Cambridge University slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The lowest appointee of the junior year; sometimes, one especially popular in his class, without reference to scholarship. Formerly, it was a custom for classmates to present to this person a wooden spoon with formal ceremonies.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, dated

Qualifier: university slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a spoon made of wood

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, woodenware

6

noun

Meaning 6

a booby prize consisting of a spoon made of wood

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: booby prize

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: дървена лъжица (dǎrvena lǎžica) — spoon made from wood
  • Chinese Cantonese: 木羹 — spoon made from wood
  • Chinese Mandarin: 木勺 (mùsháo) — spoon made from wood
  • Czech: vařečka — spoon made from wood
  • Danish: træske — spoon made from wood
  • Dutch: houten lepel — spoon made from wood
  • Dutch: pollepel — spoon made from wood
  • Finnish: kapusta — spoon made from wood
  • Finnish: puukauha — spoon made from wood
  • French: cuillère en bois — spoon made from wood
  • West-Frisian: spoen — spoon made from wood
  • German: Kochlöffel — spoon made from wood
  • German: Holzlöffel — spoon made from wood
  • Hungarian: fakanál — spoon made from wood
  • Italian: cucchiaio di legno — spoon made from wood
  • Italian: mestolo di legno — spoon made from wood
  • Japanese: 杓文字 (shamoji) — spoon made from wood
  • Māori: koko rākau — spoon made from wood
  • Norman: tchulyi en bouais — spoon made from wood
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tresleiv — spoon made from wood
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tresleiv — spoon made from wood
  • Polish: drewniana łyżka — spoon made from wood
  • Polish: kopyść — spoon made from wood
  • Portuguese: colher de pau — spoon made from wood
  • Russian: деревя́нная ло́жка (derevjánnaja lóžka) — spoon made from wood
  • Russian: меси́лка (mesílka) — spoon made from wood
  • Russian: меша́лка (mešálka) — spoon made from wood
  • Russian: весёлка (vesjólka) — spoon made from wood
  • Scottish Gaelic: spàin-fhiodha — spoon made from wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: kuhača — spoon made from wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: варјача — spoon made from wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: мешаја — spoon made from wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: мешајица — spoon made from wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: varjača — spoon made from wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: mešaja — spoon made from wood
  • Serbo-Croatian: mešejica — spoon made from wood
  • Slovene: varjača — spoon made from wood
  • Spanish: cuchara de madera — spoon made from wood
  • Swedish: träslev — spoon made from wood
  • Swedish: träsked — spoon made from wood
  • Ukrainian: копи́стка (kopýstka) — spoon made from wood
  • Unami: taxànèmhòn — spoon made from wood
  • Dutch: rode lantaarn — prize for coming last in a competition
  • Finnish: lohdutuspalkinto — prize for coming last in a competition
  • French: cuillère en bois — prize for coming last in a competition
  • German: rote Laterne — prize for coming last in a competition
  • Italian: maglia nera — prize for coming last in a competition
  • Spanish: cuchara de madera — prize for coming last in a competition
  • Swedish: jumbopris — prize for coming last in a competition