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
-
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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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:
"We've all been on the train when someone starts blasting music or videos from their phone. It gets on your nerves and can quickly spoil the journey," said Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Therefore – and this will either save you the trouble of enduring all eight episodes or spoil them – Pamela Voorhees is revealed to be a victim of a patriarchal industrial plot.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026
I spoil myself on Sundays because I might get a steak from there, a salad from Tender Greens and a lemonade from Cheesecake Factory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The stock market isn’t convinced that will happen, but more hard-nosed bond investors could spoil the party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Put one in mine then, that I wish all my curls cut off, and given round to my friends. I forgot it, but I want it done though it will spoil my looks.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
It was like Christmas every Wednesday afternoon as we shredded packages and stacked CDs, occasional stickers and vinyl, splitting the spoils and loading them into our computers — by hand even!
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
But however the spoils are divided, Morgan and Carla will continue to live at a level at which the word “comfortable” has no real meaning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
It was crucial in overcoming Jennifer Kupcho's hammer blow long range birdies late on the Saturday evening that allowed the United States to force an unlikely share of the foursomes and fourball spoils.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
"Today we woke up to no electricity. A lot of food spoils, but as long as they have the opportunity to learn, we make sacrifices," said Chiu.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
He even insisted on buying scutten for Simmon and Wilem, saying that patrons have some claim to the spoils of victory as well.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Moët Hennessy provided data from previous spoiled crops to help train the AI algorithm on what to recognize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Once the fire was extinguished, Lineage was tasked with removing the 89 million pounds of meat and food stored inside as fast as possible before it spoiled in the scorching summer heat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
"If it were not for the war, she would still be a young girl spoiled by her father. She would be going to school," Zuhair adds.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
That view, unlike a similar one in Spain would be, is not yet spoiled by parasols and day-trippers’ detritus.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
If so, Penelope theorized, and if Lady Constance were not so terribly spoiled but had instead had the benefit of a more Swanburne-like education, she might well turn out to be a perfectly pleasant companion.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
The contributor wrote that they had seen a rise in "spoilt" children with "demanding behaviour due to overindulgent parenting".
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
Fans in New England were spoilt rotten with almost two decades of unbridled success during the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era - the greatest quarterback and head coach combination the sport has ever witnessed.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2024
“We are spoilt for choice. We like our meat as meat, and our fish as fish.”
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2024
If you're spoilt for choice with high quality new releases, you're "eatin' good".
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2024
I tried to picture him, working at his laptop in our sunny kitchen, but the image was spoilt by encroachments from his new life.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Asked by NBC sideline reporter Zora Stephenson if he was enjoying spoiling the Knicks’ ring night, James grinned and said, “Yeah, I do. It’s pretty special.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
I appreciated the restraint that the cast imposes on itself without spoiling the fun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Sand storms blew in from the Gobi, disrupting the ripening process and spoiling harvests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Carling, MP for the North West Cambridgeshire constituency, which includes Holme Fen, said: "This isn't about spoiling anyone's fun; it's about recognising that conditions right now make fireworks and disposable barbecues genuinely dangerous."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“I fell. Donte helped me up. The others were spoiling for a fight.”
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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