spleen

An organ near the stomach that helps clean the blood and fight disease.

• The spleen helps clean the blood.
• The doctor found that her spleen was enlarged.
• He had his spleen removed after the accident.

Common phrases: enlarged spleen, ruptured spleen, remove the spleen

A sudden period of loud laughter or great amusement.

• His joke brought on a spleen.
• She could hardly speak through her fit of spleen.
• The comic scene left them shaking with spleen.

Similar words: merriment, laughter

Common phrases: a fit of spleen, a merry spleen

To make someone feel annoyed or angry.

• His remarks spleen me.
• The insult spleened her deeply.
• He tried to spleen his rival with cruel jokes.

Similar words: annoy, irritate

Opposites: please

Common phrases: spleen someone, spleen a rival

To complain angrily or express bitter feelings.

• He spleened about his misfortune.
• The writer spleened against the government.
• She spent the evening spleening at her critics.

How to use it: spleen against someone/something (He spleened against the rulers who had betrayed him.)

Similar words: complain, rail, rant

Common phrases: spleen against something, spleen at someone

To take out the organ near the stomach that cleans blood, or pierce someone with a horn.

• The surgeon spleened the animal.
• The bull spleened its attacker with one sharp horn.
• The wounded beast nearly spleened the hunter.

Similar words: gore

Common phrases: spleen an animal, spleen someone

To cut something out or remove it.

• The editor spleened the passage.
• They spleened the unwanted section from the text.
• The damaged part was spleened out.

Similar words: remove, excise, cut out

Opposites: insert

Common phrases: spleen something out, spleen a passage