ladling

verb

present participle of ladle
as in scooping
to lift out with something that holds liquid the server ladled out the soup from a large tureen

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ladling The style traces to Welsh rarebit (a pub classic of cheese sauce over toast) and found a second life here when the Younkers Tea Room started ladling its signature sauce over hamburgers mid‑century. — Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 1 Apr. 2026 More than three dozen businesses will be ladling up the cozy stuff this year, including a few of my favorites from past events. — Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 19 Mar. 2026 The highlight for many is the Clam Chowder Cook-Off, where local restaurants go head-to-head, ladling out samples for visitors to taste and vote on. — Pismo Beach Conference, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2025 Muckey and another musician encouraged her to drink, at one point ladling alcohol over an ice luge. — Sammy Sussman, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ladling
  1. scooping
  2. spooning
Verb
  • Others are spreading thick layers on toast, scooping it onto snack plates, blending it with eggs, enjoying it as a whole side to a meal or turning it into high-protein pizza dough.
    — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Sweep & Go, a customer relationship management app for scooping businesses, began operating in 2019.
    — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of scooping
Verb
  • Is there a reason to dip them in the glaze versus spooning the glaze on top?
    — Emily Elias, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The fun part of this recipe is poking holes in the cake and then spooning in the blueberry and strawberry fillings alternately to create the red, white, and blue effect.
    — Brennan Long, Southern Living, 3 July 2026
Definition of spooning

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Cite this Entry

“Ladling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ladling. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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