spill the beans

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spill the beans

You would also be relying on the restaurant management not to spill the beans — apologies once again for the pun — to regular customers and employees.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

It seems unlikely that Marvel would keep Spider-Man’s involvement in “Doomsday” a secret for so long only to spill the beans without fanfare in a brief post-credits stinger, though.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

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

I’ll just have to hope Eddie’s parents don’t spill the beans on our late-night observation plans.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy