spill
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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spills,
present (3rd person singular)
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spilled,
past participle, past
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spilt,
past participle, past
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spilling
present participle
-
to cause or allow to run or fall from a container, especially accidentally or wastefully.
to spill a bag of marbles; to spill milk.
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to shed (blood), as in killing or wounding.
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to scatter.
to spill papers all over everything.
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Nautical.
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to let the wind out of (a sail).
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to lose (wind) from a sail.
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to cause to fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like.
His horse spilled him.
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Informal. to divulge, disclose, or tell.
Don't spill the secret.
verb (used without object)
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spills,
present (3rd person singular)
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spilled,
past participle, past
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spilt,
past participle, past
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spilling
present participle
noun
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a spilling, as of liquid.
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a quantity spilled.
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the mark made by something spilled.
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a spillway.
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Also called spill light. superfluous or useless light rays, as from theatrical or photographic lighting units.
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Theater. an area of a stage illuminated by spill light.
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a throw or fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like.
She broke her arm in a spill.
noun
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a splinter.
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a slender piece of wood or of twisted paper, for lighting candles, lamps, etc.
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a peg made of metal.
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a small pin for stopping a cask; spile.
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Mining. forepole.
verb
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to fall or cause to fall from or as from a container, esp unintentionally
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to disgorge (contents, occupants, etc) or (of contents, occupants, etc) to be disgorged
the car spilt its passengers onto the road
the crowd spilt out of the theatre
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to shed (blood)
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Also: spill the beans. informal to disclose something confidential
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nautical to let (wind) escape from a sail or (of the wind) to escape from a sail
noun
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informal a fall or tumble
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short for spillway
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a spilling of liquid, etc, or the amount spilt
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the declaring of several political jobs vacant when one higher up becomes so
the Prime Minister's resignation could mean a Cabinet spill
noun
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a splinter of wood or strip of twisted paper with which pipes, fires, etc, are lit
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a small peg or rod made of metal
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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spillsimple
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spillssimple
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have spilledperfect
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have spiltperfect
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has spilledperfect
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has spiltperfect
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am spillingprogressive
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are spillingprogressive
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is spillingprogressive
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have been spillingperfect progressive
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has been spillingperfect progressive
Past
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spilledsimple
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spiltsimple
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had spilledperfect
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had spiltperfect
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was spillingprogressive
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were spillingprogressive
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had been spillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spill1
First recorded before 950; 1920–25 spill 1 for def. 6; Middle English spillen “to kill, destroy, shed (blood),” Old English spillan “to kill”; cognate with Middle High German, Middle Dutch spillen; akin to spoil
Origin of spill2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English spille, spil(e); of uncertain origin
Explanation
When liquids spill, they accidentally flow or dribble out of a container. You can also spill solid objects, like when you slip and spill the contents of your backpack all over the sidewalk. When you spill your hot chocolate, the spot it makes where it lands is a spill. The act of spilling it is a spill too: "Sorry about the spill, Grandma." You can take a spill yourself, like when you tumble to the ground from your bike. Spill also means "talk," especially in the context of "spill the beans" or "spill your guts," both basically meaning "tell the whole truth."
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.
See Examples For:
The U.S. campaign marks a direct challenge to China’s long dominance in Zambia, although Beijing’s reputation in the country took a hit recently after a toxic spill at a Chinese copper mine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
"We can't even fill the coffee cups to the brim or they spill," his son Linus, 19, added with an air of amused exasperation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
We just go for a long walk and spill the tea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
In the recent past, when Treasury yields have traded at or around these levels, the pressure has started to spill over into other markets, often weighing on stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
I went to my bed and ripped open my mattress, letting the gold spill out onto the floor.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Oil spills are likely to increase as fossil fuel use tapers, and oil companies put off upgrades to aging infrastructure, experts say.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"Even relatively small oil spills can persist in marine sediments for years, compromising the ecological resilience of this protected marine ecosystem."
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
On that last track, recorded a dozen years ago, Mr. Lloyd, playing alto sax, seems like a fountain, distilling fragments of songs and scales into a narrative that spills forth in graceful gushes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Most of the sewage spills into England's waterways in the last two years may have been illegal but gone unpunished, according to new analysis.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
I open the first trunk, and light spills across the shimmering contents—piles of sequined, gold-threaded, and patterned fabric.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
This shift in public opinion has spilled over into U.S. policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
When the containers were damaged these tiny pieces of plastic spilled into the water and eventually washed up on beaches.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Fighting between Myanmar's military and myriad rebel factions has spilled over the long border with Thailand, which hosts millions of refugees from Myanmar.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
It turns out the answer was not even there—it was only after the public outrage spilled over that they would speak out.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
In the dark, she knelt beside a giant shark that had spilled out of the ocean and beached itself in the sand.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
My motto in investing has always been cry over spilt milk, for analyzing errors is how you learn almost everything.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
While Jones' parents spilt up when she was 17, shortly after she had left home for Hartpury, the shock of his death exacerbated Paula's condition.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
The visitors have opted for a six-two spilt of forwards and backs among their replacements and promising young back row Henry Pollock could make his Test debut from the bench.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2025
In another clip, we see a man scrabbling in the roadway to gather up spilt flour.
From BBC ● Feb. 29, 2024
But just as I passed the lych-gate of Saint Gabriel's, kids' shouts spilt out of Diana Turbot’s garden.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
That easy-going approach inspired a soulful collection of love songs whose easy familiarity feels like a best friend spilling their secrets.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The disruption to crude flows is increasingly spilling over into refined fuel markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Tadeh Ghazalian woke up on Thursday morning and scrolled Instagram, where he saw a video of a broken water main and a deluge of water spilling onto the street — right by his restaurant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
The heat, the blurry TVs in the piazza, the cheers spilling from apartment buildings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
“Oh no,” said Moss, the words spilling out of him like a ritual.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
