Spruik means: To promote a thing or idea to another person, usually informally.. It is mainly Australian English and may not be understood outside that context. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
spruik
(transitive, Australia) To promote a thing or idea to another person, usually informally.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1890 · no dated citations yet19th centurySee decade cohort →
Definitions
Australia
#1·Apr 27, 2026AUS
(transitive, Australia) To promote a thing or idea to another person, usually informally.
There was no spruiking or showmanship, no flash shirts or ten-gallon hats.
Origin: , likely . Compare , speak, saying, a story, fiction, tale, or false idea. First recorded in the late 1890s and early 1900s, suggesting a possible derivation from Afrikaans (i.e. brought back by soldiers returning from the Boer War). With the exception of a few early uses of sprook, the word's spelling has been fixed since it first entered the language. The uncommon ⟨ui⟩ digraph provides further evidence for an Afrikaans or Dutch origin. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
Spruik means: To promote a thing or idea to another person, usually informally.. It is mainly Australian English and may not be understood outside that context. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
spruik means: To promote a thing or idea to another person, usually informally.. Register: informal, Australian English. Often not understood outside its region; gloss the word on first use when writing for an international audience. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Cluster: general
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
Australia
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🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang
Aussie and Kiwi vocabulary — bogan, daggy, brekkie, sheila, bach, jandals — the whole Antipodean lexicon, including outback dialect, surf and beach culture, and Sydney/Melbourne street slang.
See all Australian & NZ slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "spruik" (S)
sprint modesprint pilledsprint sznsprogsprotespruce beerspruikerspruitsprungsprunnyspruntspud bashing
Browse all slang words starting with S.
Related terms
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Semantically related
- spruiker77%
(Australia) One who spruiks business, a tout.
- spruiker73%
(Australia) One who toots their own horn.
- promote69%
(transitive) To advocate or urge on behalf of (something or someone); to attempt to popularize or sell by means of advertising or publicity.
- promote68%
(transitive) To encourage, urge or incite.
- sprunt64%
(Scottish, intransitive, now, rare) To court, flirt, or make romantic advances; esp. after dusk and under the cover of darkness, sometimes among haystacks.