Definition

1. Noun:

   • A large, deep spoon with a long handle, used for serving liquids such as soup, stew, or sauce from a pot or bowl.

2. Verb:

   • To serve or transfer a liquid using a ladle.
   • To remove liquid from a container using a ladle.

Usage

• As a Noun: Use "ladle" to refer to the serving utensil itself.
• As a Verb: Use "ladle" to describe the action of serving a liquid with this utensil. It is often followed by a preposition like "into," "out of," or "onto."

Examples

• Noun:

  • She used a stainless steel ladle to serve the stew.
  • The soup kitchen had a large ladle hanging by the pot.

• Verb:

  • Please ladle the gravy into this boat.
  • He carefully ladled the hot broth out of the cauldron.

Advanced Usage

• "to ladle out": To serve or distribute a liquid, often in generous portions. This can also be used figuratively to mean distributing something freely.
  • The chef began to ladle out the soup to the waiting customers.
  • The government was accused of ladling out subsidies without proper oversight.

Variants and Related Words

• Ladleful (n): The amount that a ladle can hold.
  • She added two ladlefuls of stock to the pan.

Synonyms

• Spoon (n, v): A more general term for a utensil with a shallow bowl and a handle, or the action of using one. (A ladle is a specific type of large spoon.)
• Scoop (n, v): A utensil with a deep bowl for lifting dry or semi-solid substances, or the action of using one.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Ladle out: As described in "Advanced Usage," this means to serve or distribute, especially a liquid.
  • Volunteers ladled out hot meals to the homeless.

Related Idioms

Noun

1. a spoon-shaped vessel with a long handle; frequently used to transfer liquids from one container to another

Verb

1. remove with or as if with a ladle
   • ladle the water out of the bowl
2. put (a liquid) into a container by means of a ladle
   • ladle soup into the bowl