spoil

[ spoil ]

/ spɔɪl /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spoil ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), spoiled or spoilt, spoil·ing.

to damage severely or harm (something), especially with reference to its excellence, value, usefulness, etc.: The water stain spoiled the painting. Drought spoiled the corn crop.

to diminish or impair the quality of; affect detrimentally: Bad weather spoiled their vacation.

to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc.: to spoil a child by pampering him.

Archaic. to strip (persons, places, etc.) of goods, valuables, etc.; plunder; pillage; despoil.

Archaic. to take or seize by force.

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

Often spoils. booty, loot, or plunder taken in war or robbery.

the act of plundering.

an object of plundering.

Usually spoils.

the emoluments and advantages of public office viewed as won by a victorious political party: the spoils of office.
prizes won or treasures accumulated: a child's spoils brought home from a party.

waste material, as that which is cast up in mining, excavating, quarrying, etc.

an imperfectly made object, damaged during the manufacturing process.

Nearby words

spode, spodogenous, spodosol, spodumene, spohr, spoil, spoil bank, spoil for, spoil ground, spoilage, spoiled priest

Idioms

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

1300–50; (v.) Middle English spoilen < Old French espoillier < Latin spoliāre to despoil, equivalent to spoli(um) booty + -āre infinitive suffix; (noun) derivative of the v. or < Old French espoille, derivative of espoillier

SYNONYMS FOR spoil

1 disfigure, destroy, demolish, mar. 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.

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Related forms

spoil·a·ble, adjectivespoil·less, adjectiveun·spoil·a·ble, adjectiveun·spoiled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spoil

Rico Finally Paid: its easy fast money money and im welling to spoil you to def .
The Sex-Trafficking Kings of Facebook|Michael Daly|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course I dismissed him for the day, and of course I paid him for the full time, that being the way we spoil our models.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So in episode five—not to spoil anything—Cohle gives one of his metaphysical addresses.
Inside the Obsessive, Strange Mind of True Detective’s Nic Pizzolatto|Andrew Romano|February 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At these wellness retreats, the staff will kick your butt—and then spoil you silly.
Best Luxury Boot Camps to Get Fit in 2014|Lonely Planet|December 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST

There are other ways in which the shutdown can spoil the holiday season – for retailers and workers.
The Shutdown that Stole Christmas?|Daniel Gross|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Tom had shown his spoil at that part of the camp where the other boys were chopping.
Camp Venture|George Cary Eggleston
When too roughly frolicsome, he rebuked them gently, so as not to mortify them, or spoil the natural buoyancy of their character.
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 697|Various
There, Judy, keep back for a moment; it will get upon the carpet, and spoil it if we are not as quick as possible.
A Young Mutineer|Mrs. L. T. Meade
Always be careful not to spoil a beautiful mantel or beautiful ornaments by having them out of proportion one with the other.
The Art of Interior Decoration|Grace Wood
What fools we are to spoil our eyes for other people's troubles!
Lorna Doone|R. D. Blackmore

British Dictionary definitions for spoil

spoil

/ (spɔɪl) /

verb spoils, spoiling, spoilt or spoiled

(tr) to cause damage to (something), in regard to its value, beauty, usefulness, etc

(tr) to weaken the character of (a child) by complying unrestrainedly with its desires

(intr) (of perishable substances) to become unfit for consumption or usethe fruit must be eaten before it spoils

(intr) sport to disrupt the play or style of an opponent, as to prevent him from settling into a rhythm

archaic to strip (a person or place) of (property or goods) by force or violence

be spoiling for to have an aggressive desire for (a fight, etc)

noun

waste material thrown up by an excavation

any treasure accumulated by a personthis gold ring was part of the spoil

obsolete

the act of plundering
a strategically placed building, city, etc, captured as plunder

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

Idioms and Phrases with spoil

spoil

In addition to the idioms beginning with spoil

spoil for

also see:

spare the rod and spoil the child
too many cooks spoil the broth
to the victor belong the spoils

spoil

verb (used with object), spoiled or spoilt, spoil·ing.

verb (used without object), spoiled or spoilt, spoil·ing.

noun

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of spoil

SYNONYMS FOR spoil

Related forms

Examples from the Web for spoil

British Dictionary definitions for spoil

spoil

verb spoils, spoiling, spoilt or spoiled

noun

Word Origin for spoil

Idioms and Phrases with spoil

spoil