spill the beans

Idioms

Disclose a secret or reveal something prematurely, as in You can count on little Carol to spill the beans about the surprise. In this colloquial expression, first recorded in 1919, spill means “divulge,” a usage dating from the 1500s.

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.

People wait until they see if their favorite team is directly affected with a loss in the playoffs, then they spill the beans.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

And Hegseth used his personal phone this time to spill the beans.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2025

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said the sausage made the trip with the team, but wouldn’t spill the beans on how the well-traveled piece of meat made it over the border into Canada.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024

But for now, find out all the backstage gossip from this year's stars - from Adam to Zara - as they took a break from rehearsals to spill the beans.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2023

But before I can beg her to spill the beans, Justin rushes into the kitchen and pulls the turkey tea cozy off Mom’s head.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023