A spittoon (or spitoon) is a receptacle made for spitting into, especially by users of chewing and dipping tobacco. It is also known as a cuspidor (which is the Portuguese word for "spitter" or "spittoon", from the verb "cuspir" meaning "to spit"), although that term is also used for a type of spitting sink used in dentistry.

"Spittoon" can also be slang American English for any receptacle (such as a tin can) used to hold spit, although the term "spitter" is more common.^{[citation needed]}

Similar vessels for spitting had been used in Southwest Asia for centuries.^{[citation needed]} Spittoons appeared both in the United States and the United Kingdom under the same name about 1840.^{[citation needed]} It has been suggested^{[by whom?]} (perhaps humorously) that the name was in part onomatopoeia.^{[citation needed]}

In the late 19th century United States and Australia spittoons became a very common feature of pubs, brothels, saloons, hotels, stores, banks, railway carriages, and other places where people (especially adult men) gathered.