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spill
1[ spil ]
/ spɪl /
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verb (used with object), spilled or spilt, spill·ing.
verb (used without object), spilled or spilt, spill·ing.
(of a liquid, loose particles, etc.) to run or escape from a container, especially by accident or in careless handling.
noun
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Idioms about spill
Origin of spill
1First recorded before 950; 1920–25 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
OTHER WORDS FROM spill
spill·a·ble, adjective, nounnon·spill·a·ble, adjectiveun·spilled, adjectiveWords nearby spill
spike-rush, spike-tooth harrow, spiky, spile, spiling, spill, spillage, Spillane, spillikin, spillikins, spillover
Other definitions for spill (2 of 2)
spill2
[ spil ]
/ spɪl /
noun
a splinter.
a slender piece of wood or of twisted paper, for lighting candles, lamps, etc.
a peg made of metal.
a small pin for stopping a cask; spile.
Mining. forepole.
Origin of spill
2First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English spille, spil(e); of uncertain origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use spill in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for spill (1 of 2)
spill1
/ (spɪl) /
verb spills, spilling, spilt or spilled (mainly tr)
noun
Derived forms of spill
spiller, nounWord Origin for spill
Old English spillan to destroy; related to spildan, Old High German spaltan to split; see spoil
British Dictionary definitions for spill (2 of 2)
spill2
/ (spɪl) /
noun
a splinter of wood or strip of twisted paper with which pipes, fires, etc, are lit
a small peg or rod made of metal
Word Origin for spill
C13: of Germanic origin; compare Old High German spilla, Middle Dutch spile stake
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with spill
spill
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.