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Synonyms

spoil for

Idioms  

  1. Be eager for, as in He's just spoiling for a fight. This idiom nearly always refers to some kind of altercation. It may allude to spoil in the sense of “deteriorate over a period of time.” [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Now higher in rank and decorated for his work apprehending members of the French 75, Lockjaw is invited to join a powerful white supremacist group with a hilariously preposterous name that I shan’t spoil for you.

From Salon

As Toby chops and stirs and practices family stories about sandwiches in endless prep for his “Champion Chef” audition tape, Kayla worries about an old wound that I won’t spoil for you here, and Evelyn desperately tries to keep her family together.

From Seattle Times

House of Representatives will reconvene in an atmosphere of political uncertainty on Monday, as Republican hardline conservatives clash with Speaker Kevin McCarthy and spoil for a new fight over federal government spending.

From Reuters

I still enjoy stories I spoil for myself.

From Washington Post

But I think generally people buy into the idea that this is something that they do not want to spoil for the audience.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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