What it means
To appear or pop into existence, especially where you start in a game or where enemies keep coming from. It has slipped into everyday speech for anything that materialises out of nowhere: a queue spawned at the till, the kids spawned in the kitchen the second food appeared.
Usage examples
"I respawned at the wrong end of the map every single time."
"Mention free pizza and three colleagues just spawn at your desk."
"I left the kitchen for ten seconds and somehow four cousins spawned round the chips."
"Soon as the group chat says drinks tonight, random people start spawning in the replies."
Where it comes from
It comes from the older English word spawn, which first meant fish eggs or the mass of eggs released in water. Video games grabbed it for the spot where players, items, or enemies appear. From there it hopped neatly into everyday chat for anything that suddenly shows up out of nowhere.
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