spill

¹ American  

[spil] / spɪl /

verb (used with object)

spilled, spilt, spilling

1. to cause or allow to run or fall from a container, especially accidentally or wastefully.

   to spill a bag of marbles; to spill milk.

2. to shed (blood), as in killing or wounding.

3. to scatter.

   to spill papers all over everything.

4. Nautical.

   1. to let the wind out of (a sail).

   2. to lose (wind) from a sail.

5. to cause to fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like.

   His horse spilled him.

6. Informal. to divulge, disclose, or tell.

   Don't spill the secret.

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verb (used without object)

spilled, spilt, spilling

1. (of a liquid, loose particles, etc.) to run or escape from a container, especially by accident or in careless handling.

noun

1. a spilling, as of liquid.

2. a quantity spilled.

3. the mark made by something spilled.

4. a spillway.

5. Also called spill light.  superfluous or useless light rays, as from theatrical or photographic lighting units.

6. Theater. an area of a stage illuminated by spill light.

7. a throw or fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like.

   She broke her arm in a spill.

idioms

1. spill the beans. bean.

2. spill one's guts. gut.

3. spill / toss one's cookies. cookie.

spill ² American  

[spil] / spɪl /

noun

1. a splinter.

2. a slender piece of wood or of twisted paper, for lighting candles, lamps, etc.

3. a peg made of metal.

4. a small pin for stopping a cask; spile.

5. Mining. forepole.

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spill ¹ British  

/ spɪl /

verb

1. to fall or cause to fall from or as from a container, esp unintentionally

2. 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

3. to shed (blood)

4. Also: spill the beans.  informal to disclose something confidential

5. nautical to let (wind) escape from a sail or (of the wind) to escape from a sail

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noun

1. informal a fall or tumble

2. short for spillway

3. a spilling of liquid, etc, or the amount spilt

4. the declaring of several political jobs vacant when one higher up becomes so

   the Prime Minister's resignation could mean a Cabinet spill

spill ² British  

/ spɪl /

noun

1. a splinter of wood or strip of twisted paper with which pipes, fires, etc, are lit

2. a small peg or rod made of metal

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spill More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing spill

• shed (spill) blood
• take a spill

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Other Word Forms

• nonspillable adjective
• spillable adjective
• spiller noun
• unspilled adjective

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

Example Sentences

The company drastically boosted oil production, but failed to properly maintain its equipment, resulting in oil spills and gas leaks.

From Los Angeles Times

But the data this week suggest that growth is spilling into the labor market, said James Knightley, chief international economist at ING.

From MarketWatch

Ley, who after the leadership spill announced she would resign from parliament, said there was "no doubt" it had been "a challenging time to lead the party".

From BBC

Even when a potato pancake failed to flip on camera and spilled onto the stove, she accepted the mistake with grace, endearing her to similarly mishap-prone home cooks.

From The Wall Street Journal

U.S. consumers are feeling pinched financially, but fears that angst would spill over to America’s favorite burger chain were misplaced.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• discharge
• dribble
• empty
• flow
• overflow
• pour
• run out
• scatter
• spill over
• splash
• spray
• sprinkle
• squirt
• stream