spoiler party

American

noun

U.S. Politics.

a third political party formed to draw votes away from one of the two major parties, thus spoiling its chance of winning an election.

Etymology

Origin of spoiler party

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

Fuehrer said he hopes his party can regain its footing and grow to be more than a “mini-major” and spoiler party by pulling in new supporters like Anderson and Horner.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 30, 2016

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