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spooning

spooning

3 6.9
Two people lie close on their sides facing the same way
  • noun
  • /ˈspuːnɪŋ/
  • Informal
translation icon : cucharita
  • One day you're gonna wake up with some chick, spooning… …you know, thinking about love.
  • spooning position

Some more interests, you know, good spooning size, all that good stuff.

Examples

Synonyms

cuddling
vsspooning
9 1.0

Holding someone close in your arms to feel warm and safe

is a lying side by side pose rather than an upright arm embrace
smooching
vsspooning
  • Informal
4 7.0

Kissing and cuddling in a playful or romantic way

is about lying side by side for closeness without emphasis on kissing
snuggling
vsspooning
  • Informal
3 2.8

Lying or sitting close to someone to feel warm and safe

is a side by side lying position with both facing the same direction

How Intimate

spooning
  • Informal
3 6.9
to snuggle
  • Informal
59 2.0
to cuddle
72 1.0
to hug
336 1.0
to hold someone's hand
  • Informal
10 2.8
together
1.0

Surface Forms

spooning singular
spoonings plural

Morphology

spooning = spoon (semi-transparent) = spoon + ing

The form is a regular -ing nominalization of the verb 'spoon', but the cuddling meaning is metaphorical rather than fully literal.

Etymology

Spooning comes from the way spoons fit together: one spoon curls into another. A helpful image is two people lying close on their sides facing the same way and fitting together like spoons, which is why spooning means 'cuddling'.