spoil
verb (used with object)
to damage severely or harm (something), especially with reference to its excellence, value, usefulness, etc.: Drought spoiled the corn crop.
had been spoiling
-
past perfect progressiveof spoil.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Gennaro Gattuso had been spoiling for a fight all night.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2023
Each side claimed that the other had initiated the hostilities, but both in fact had been spoiling for the fight.
From Time Magazine Archive
Ernie Bevin had been spoiling for this fight for 20 years.
From Time Magazine Archive
The British regulars had been spoiling for a fight ever since they landed in Korea some two months before, and now they were getting one.
From Time Magazine Archive
By 1939, the Germans had been spoiling for a fight with Poland for a long time.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
