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

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

The port statement said the source of the spill had been stopped and the "directly involved seagoing vessels have been contained for active clean-up operations."

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The Pieter Coecke, a Belgian-flagged pollution control vessel, was operating in the area of the spill Friday, according to the Marine Traffic website.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Payment disputes between automakers and suppliers aren’t unusual in the industry, but rarely spill over into court and result in parts shipments being halted.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

If his living room offers any clues, the task must have been challenging: hundreds, perhaps thousands, of his images hang on every wall and spill across many surfaces.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Ms. Porter always tells us to be creative and open and free, to write or draw or spill whatever we’re feeling, as we feel it.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Related Words

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