spill
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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spills,
present (3rd person singular)
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spilled,
past participle, past
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spilt,
past participle, past
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spilling
present participle
-
to cause or allow to run or fall from a container, especially accidentally or wastefully.
to spill a bag of marbles; to spill milk.
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to shed (blood), as in killing or wounding.
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to scatter.
to spill papers all over everything.
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Nautical.
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to let the wind out of (a sail).
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to lose (wind) from a sail.
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to cause to fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like.
His horse spilled him.
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Informal. to divulge, disclose, or tell.
Don't spill the secret.
verb (used without object)
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spills,
present (3rd person singular)
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spilled,
past participle, past
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spilt,
past participle, past
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spilling
present participle
noun
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a spilling, as of liquid.
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a quantity spilled.
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the mark made by something spilled.
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a spillway.
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Also called spill light. superfluous or useless light rays, as from theatrical or photographic lighting units.
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Theater. an area of a stage illuminated by spill light.
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a throw or fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like.
She broke her arm in a spill.
noun
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a splinter.
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a slender piece of wood or of twisted paper, for lighting candles, lamps, etc.
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a peg made of metal.
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a small pin for stopping a cask; spile.
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Mining. forepole.
verb
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to fall or cause to fall from or as from a container, esp unintentionally
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to disgorge (contents, occupants, etc) or (of contents, occupants, etc) to be disgorged
the car spilt its passengers onto the road
the crowd spilt out of the theatre
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to shed (blood)
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Also: spill the beans. informal to disclose something confidential
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nautical to let (wind) escape from a sail or (of the wind) to escape from a sail
noun
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informal a fall or tumble
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short for spillway
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a spilling of liquid, etc, or the amount spilt
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the declaring of several political jobs vacant when one higher up becomes so
the Prime Minister's resignation could mean a Cabinet spill
noun
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a splinter of wood or strip of twisted paper with which pipes, fires, etc, are lit
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a small peg or rod made of metal
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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spillsimple
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spillssimple
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have spilledperfect
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have spiltperfect
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has spilledperfect
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has spiltperfect
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am spillingprogressive
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are spillingprogressive
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is spillingprogressive
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have been spillingperfect progressive
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has been spillingperfect progressive
Past
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spilledsimple
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spiltsimple
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had spilledperfect
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had spiltperfect
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was spillingprogressive
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were spillingprogressive
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had been spillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spill1
First recorded before 950; 1920–25 spill 1 for def. 6; Middle English spillen “to kill, destroy, shed (blood),” Old English spillan “to kill”; cognate with Middle High German, Middle Dutch spillen; akin to spoil
Origin of spill2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English spille, spil(e); of uncertain origin
Explanation
When liquids spill, they accidentally flow or dribble out of a container. You can also spill solid objects, like when you slip and spill the contents of your backpack all over the sidewalk. When you spill your hot chocolate, the spot it makes where it lands is a spill. The act of spilling it is a spill too: "Sorry about the spill, Grandma." You can take a spill yourself, like when you tumble to the ground from your bike. Spill also means "talk," especially in the context of "spill the beans" or "spill your guts," both basically meaning "tell the whole truth."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Every evening around 5pm, streams of workers wearing company lanyards spill out of high-rise offices in the district of Cubao in Manila.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
In the recent past, when Treasury yields have traded at or around these levels, the pressure has started to spill over into other markets, often weighing on stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
Plenty of workplaces could use more empathy, but we don’t have to spill everything—and often shouldn’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Just as they did in Beethoven's time, euphoric revellers still spill out onto the paths of the otherwise sleepy outskirts in the vine-lined Viennese hillsides after a few carafes of white- or red-wine spritzers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
“If it’s a secret, we need to make sure you-know-who doesn’t spill the beans.”
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
On that last track, recorded a dozen years ago, Mr. Lloyd, playing alto sax, seems like a fountain, distilling fragments of songs and scales into a narrative that spills forth in graceful gushes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Davies-Walsh said she was worried that people's frustrations at water companies over sewage spills and leakages was making them less likely to heed advice about being careful with their use of water.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The issue for Sunday's game, said Joel Dreessen, an air quality forecaster for the state of Maryland, is whether more smoke spills south after weekend storm systems.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
But it added that its subsidiary alongside its government partner worked to clean up spills from its facilities "regardless of the cause".
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
I stand up so quickly, my milk spills all over the table.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
I’ve been heartened by the throngs of people gathered in multiplexes, even if it means the floors are extra sticky from spilled soda.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Some cases spilled into TV debates, police complaints and political statements.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
It turns out the answer was not even there—it was only after the public outrage spilled over that they would speak out.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
In a slowly emptying village in northern Kazakhstan, wild grass engulfed the entrances of abandoned apartment blocks, as children's songs spilled into the street from the only building still occupied.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Only a faint glow of moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating my bed and the spinning wheel.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
A big harvest means large amounts of grain spilt in the paddocks during the processing of crops, leading to an easily accessible and much-loved food source for mice.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
My motto in investing has always been cry over spilt milk, for analyzing errors is how you learn almost everything.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
And the Springboks have evolved again – opting for a 7-1 bench spilt for last year's World Cup final victory over New Zealand.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2024
In Sunday's victory over Scotland, Erasmus opted for a 7-1 spilt of forwards to backs on the bench.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2024
But just as I passed the lych-gate of Saint Gabriel's, kids' shouts spilt out of Diana Turbot’s garden.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
That was from the water spilling over a dirt road, not from internal erosion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
That easy-going approach inspired a soulful collection of love songs whose easy familiarity feels like a best friend spilling their secrets.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Hammond said he found about 86% of the raw sewage spilling hours took place when there had not been heavy rain, meaning those discharges could be potentially illegal.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Deterioration in the Chinese passenger car market is accelerating, with competitive pressures spilling over into the broader Asia Pacific, while the Middle East conflict continues to weigh on energy costs and global consumer sentiment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
And I don’t know what came over me, but the next thing I knew, stuff was just spilling out.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
