What does spate mean?
Word: Spate
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Spate means a large number of similar things, often unpleasant ones, that happen one after another in a short time, such as a spate of complaints.
Synonyms: series, wave, rush, flood
Antonyms: trickle
How do you spell spate?
Syllables: spate
Tricky part: Said quickly, spate can sound like spade, the digging tool, so listen for the t at the end of the sound.
Watch out for: spatte, spaet
Memory tip: A spade digs with a d, but a spate of things comes at you like a torrent: t for torrent.
Idioms and Phrases
- in full spate: Going strongly, at full speed; first said of a river in flood. Example: "Once Grandma is in full spate, her stories go on until dinner."
Spate in a sentence
Example 1: There has been a spate of road repairs in our street this month.
Example 2: After the exam results, the school received a spate of phone calls from parents.
Example 3: A spate of rainy days kept the children indoors at break last week.
Fun Fact
Spate first meant a sudden flood in a river. In Scotland and northern England, a river swollen after heavy rain is still said to be in spate.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with spate?
a) straight
b) freight
c) height
d) weight
Show answer
c) height. Height looks like weight but is said to rhyme with kite.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
A burst of many similar happenings packed into a short time is called a ___.
a) trickle
b) halt
c) spate
d) lull
Show answer
c) spate. A lull and a halt are quiet stops, and a trickle is only a few, so they do not fit.
Spell Probe
One word in the sentence is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
Just before the New Year, a spait of orders kept the sweet shop busy until midnight, so the owner hired two extra helpers.
a) people who give help with a job
b) requests to buy goods from a shop
c) twelve o'clock at night
d) a lot of similar things coming close together
Show answer
d) a lot of similar things coming close together. Spate is the misspelt word; its 'ay' sound is spelt with a and an e at the end.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) spate
b) volley
c) surge
d) flury
Show answer
d) flury. Flurry needs a double r, like hurry.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence uses spate correctly?
a) A spate of wedding invitations arrived in May.
b) She poured the soup into a deep spate.
c) He used a spate to dig up the potatoes.
d) The spate of the river bank was steep.
Show answer
a) A spate of wedding invitations arrived in May.
2. Which of these could be described as a spate?
a) thirty emails in one morning
b) a single knock on the door
c) one postcard every year
d) a long, quiet holiday
Show answer
a) thirty emails in one morning
