spoilage

American  

[spoi-lij] / ˈspɔɪ lɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act of spoiling or the state of being spoiled.

2. material or the amount of material that is spoiled or wasted.

   The spoilage in today's shipment is much too great.

3. the decay of foodstuffs due to the action of bacteria; rotting.

   He was concerned about the spoilage of fruit on the way to market.

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spoilage British  

/ ˈspɔɪlɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act or an instance of spoiling or the state or condition of being spoilt

2. an amount of material that has been wasted by being spoilt

   the spoilage of corn was considerable

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Etymology

Origin of spoilage

First recorded in 1590–1600; spoil + -age

Example Sentences

Non-antioxidants inhibit microbial growth or slow chemical reactions that cause spoilage.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

Meanwhile, your executor could work with the landlord to arrange access to care for pets or plants, empty the fridge to prevent food spoilage, and so forth.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 14, 2026

Basically, the idea was to explore how LAB could be used to colonize a food environment in order to prevent the outgrowth of spoilage or pathogenic bacteria.

From Slate • Feb. 22, 2025

Food spoilage isn’t as simple as picking a day, Murray said, but labels should be considered when checking if your groceries are still good or need to be tossed.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

The fresh towels ready for spoilage, the wastebaskets gaping their invitations, beckoning in the careless junk.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood