spoil
Americanverb (used with object)
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spoils,
present (3rd person singular)
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spoiled,
past participle, past
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spoilt,
past participle, past
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spoiling
present participle
-
to damage severely or harm (something), especially with reference to its excellence, value, usefulness, etc.: Drought spoiled the corn crop.
The water stain spoiled the painting.
Drought spoiled the corn crop.
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to diminish or impair the quality of; affect detrimentally.
Bad weather spoiled their vacation.
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to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc..
to spoil a child by pampering him.
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Archaic. to strip (persons, places, etc.) of goods, valuables, etc.; plunder; pillage; despoil.
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Archaic. to take or seize by force.
verb (used without object)
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spoils,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spoiled,
past participle, past
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spoilt,
past participle, past
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spoiling
present participle
-
to become bad, or unfit for use, as food or other perishable substances; become tainted or putrid.
Milk spoils if not refrigerated.
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to plunder, pillage, or rob.
noun
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Often spoils. booty, loot, or plunder taken in war or robbery.
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the act of plundering.
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an object of plundering.
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Usually spoils.
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the emoluments and advantages of public office viewed as won by a victorious political party.
the spoils of office.
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prizes won or treasures accumulated.
a child's spoils brought home from a party.
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waste material, as that which is cast up in mining, excavating, quarrying, etc.
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an imperfectly made object, damaged during the manufacturing process.
idioms
verb
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(tr) to cause damage to (something), in regard to its value, beauty, usefulness, etc
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(tr) to weaken the character of (a child) by complying unrestrainedly with its desires
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(intr) (of perishable substances) to become unfit for consumption or use
the fruit must be eaten before it spoils
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(intr) sport to disrupt the play or style of an opponent, as to prevent him from settling into a rhythm
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archaic to strip (a person or place) of (property or goods) by force or violence
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to have an aggressive desire for (a fight, etc)
noun
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waste material thrown up by an excavation
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any treasure accumulated by a person
this gold ring was part of the spoil
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obsolete
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the act of plundering
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a strategically placed building, city, etc, captured as plunder
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Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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spoilsimple
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spoilssimple
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have spoiledperfect
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have spoiltperfect
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has spoiledperfect
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has spoiltperfect
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am spoilingprogressive
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are spoilingprogressive
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is spoilingprogressive
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have been spoilingperfect progressive
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has been spoilingperfect progressive
Past
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spoiledsimple
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spoiltsimple
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had spoiledperfect
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had spoiltperfect
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was spoilingprogressive
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were spoilingprogressive
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had been spoilingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spoil
First recorded in 1300–50; (verb) Middle English spoilen, from Old French espoillier, from Latin spoliāre “to despoil,” equivalent to spoli(um) “booty” + -āre infinitive suffix; (noun) derivative of the verb or from Old French espoille, derivative of espoillier
Explanation
When you spoil something, you destroy it or ruin its quality. If you spoil a surprise, you tell the secret you were supposed to keep. When you spoil something, you mess it up, like spoiling someone's good mood by bringing up a painful memory. Food can also spoil, or become unsafe for eating, and you can spoil a child by always giving him everything he wants, making him unable to cope when things don't go his way. The word spoil comes from the Old French espoillier, to plunder. In fact, things taken by force are called spoils, like the spoils of war.
Vocabulary lists containing spoil
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"Earth and Space"
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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:
They welcomed the boys into their home with "incredible warmth", said Anton, finding ways to "spoil" and "surprise" them.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
A day trip is plenty of time to visit several—and, if you plan right, spoil yourself with exceptional food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
But that refusal to risk vulnerability comes back to bite her when the daughter she turned herself inside out to spoil pulls a move reminiscent of Veda in “Mildred Pierce,” betraying Emma for vapid reasons.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said Wednesday that Kyiv hoped the row would not spoil the summit.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Wilbur was modest; fame did not spoil him.
From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
This dishonesty spoils the story and replicates the Bundists’ ideological vanity, minus their heroism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Yet it’s hard to see the spoils of an AI-driven economy trickling down to everyone.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Ironically, the easiest way to fund his plans would be to draw on the spoils of faster growth.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
While the nation tries to figure it out, Austin is reaping the spoils of its housing overhaul.
From Barron's ● May 31, 2026
“Food spoils quickly in our climate!” he insisted, turning the dial to near freezing.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Especially in L.A. where we’re spoiled with beautiful weather all the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
This is a remix of the lecture supposedly spoiled millennials, who refused to sacrifice every small pleasure on the altar of homeownership, heard for years about $7 lattes.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
David Matias Rodriguez, an 82-year-old retiree, said he was worried the few things in his refrigerator would be spoiled.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
For a long time, he was the player who beat your favorite player, who spoiled the Sundays of the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal superfans, and it gave him a certain notoriousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
It was as if someone had made a goulash out of spoiled fish, sprinkled it with pungent cheese, and then served it in an unsanitary shoe.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Tour de France fans were spoilt for choice in Paris when it came to drinking in the drama of cycling's greatest race.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
When spoilt votes were excluded, Humphreys won 29% of first preference votes, while Fianna Fail's Jim Gavin, who withdrew from the race but remained on the ballot paper, won 7% first preference votes.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025
"He was very kind, he spoilt me a lot. He had a sweet tooth like me, and always knew what treats to buy me," Nastia says.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025
If you're spoilt for choice with high quality new releases, you're "eatin' good".
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2024
“Yes!” said I. And although my sister instantly boxed my ears, it was highly gratifying to me to see that the answer spoilt his joke, and brought him to a dead stop.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
No matter what, the stock market has been showering investors with wealth like a crazy rich uncle who can’t stop spoiling all the kids in the family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
I can just see Lionel Messi spoiling our party.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Without spoiling the season’s outcome, I’ll just say that line is a guarantee of satisfaction even though we know this is the last serving we going to get.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
The roof, Raabe said, is resting on the 600-foot-long, 50-foot-tall racks that hold the 85 million pounds of food that are burning and spoiling inside, posing a danger to anyone who’d go in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
They all squinted at him, puzzled—and annoyed, too, that he was spoiling their amusement.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
