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spoil

[ spoil ]
/ spɔɪl /
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See synonyms for: spoil / spoiled / spoiling / spoils on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), spoiled or spoilt, spoil·ing.
verb (used without object), spoiled or spoilt, spoil·ing.
to become bad, or unfit for use, as food or other perishable substances; become tainted or putrid: Milk spoils if not refrigerated.
to plunder, pillage, or rob.
noun
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Idioms about spoil

    be spoiling for, Informal. to be very eager for; be desirous of: It was obvious that he was spoiling for a fight.

Origin of spoil

First recorded in 1300–50; (verb) Middle English spoilen, from Old French espoillier, from Latin spoliāre “to despoil,” equivalent to spoli(um) “booty” + -āre infinitive suffix; (noun) derivative of the verb or from Old French espoille, derivative of espoillier

synonym study for spoil

1. Spoil, ruin, wreck agree in meaning to reduce the value, quality, usefulness, etc., of anything. Spoil is the general term: to spoil a delicate fabric. Ruin implies doing completely destructive or irreparable injury: to ruin one's health. Wreck implies a violent breaking up or demolition: to wreck oneself with drink; to wreck a building.

OTHER WORDS FROM spoil

spoil·a·ble, adjectivespoil·less, adjectiveun·spoil·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spoil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spoil

spoil
/ (spɔɪl) /

verb spoils, spoiling, spoilt or spoiled
noun
See also spoils

Word Origin for spoil

C13: from Old French espoillier, from Latin spoliāre to strip, from spolium booty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with spoil

spoil

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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