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:
"We can't even fill the coffee cups to the brim or they spill," his son Linus, 19, added with an air of amused exasperation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
A local environmental protection official has since said the spill has been "almost completely cleaned up".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
We just go for a long walk and spill the tea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
And over the coming days and weeks, some investors are worried that the rumblings could spill over into other markets, like stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
It sent the Fujinuma Dam sliding nearly 15 feet downhill, and water from the reservoir behind it began to spill over its top.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Oil spills are likely to increase as fossil fuel use tapers, and oil companies put off upgrades to aging infrastructure, experts say.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"Even relatively small oil spills can persist in marine sediments for years, compromising the ecological resilience of this protected marine ecosystem."
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
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
They’re all looking at her as she approaches, and she knows this means they have a surprise for her, and so she spills her water, and it splashes onto her salad.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Two days later, the Dikhow and Mitong spilled into surrounding areas as the Brahmaputra and its tributaries swelled rapidly.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
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
Fighting between Myanmar's military and myriad rebel factions has spilled over the long border with Thailand, which hosts millions of refugees from Myanmar.
From Barron's ● 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
Curly hair as pale as spun straw spilled over his shoulders, and eyes like icicles touched on the crowd of villagers for a heartbeat each.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Sewage is spilt when it is raining to prevent the system becoming overwhelmed and backing up into people's homes.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 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
Sewage was spilt for 3.614 million hours in 2024 compared to 3.606 million hours in 2023.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2025
Following a surprise defeat by England in round two, Galthie has opted for a 7-1 bench spilt, which helped inflict an 11-try hammering of Italy.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2025
The mansion cracked its sides open and men and women spilt through the doors after their own babble.
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
The heat, the blurry TVs in the piazza, the cheers spilling from apartment buildings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
I call down to Pouncey, who’s working the hand crank that keeps bucket after bucket of chain rising up the rounded side of the silo and spilling in through the opening.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
