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spoil
[ spoil ]
/ spɔɪl /
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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, adjectiveWords nearby spoil
spod, Spode, spodosol, spodumene, Spohr, spoil, spoilage, spoil bank, spoiled, spoiled priest, spoiler
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
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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.