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)
-
spilled,
past participle, past
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spilt,
past participle, past
-
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:
One of the most important elements from Friday’s release was the intention to settle the remaining liabilities from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in full, which is equivalent to around $5 billion post-tax, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The pellets from the spill have been found along the English coast from Northumberland to North Yorkshire.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Policymakers are watching to see if those gains spill over into domestic demand and fuel inflation, strengthening the case for further rate increases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Weak domestic demand and little evidence of labor-market tightness make it unlikely that the shocks will spill over into inflation expectations and wage growth, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Loneliness wraps me like a dark sarape, but I spill my heart to nobody.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
“For too long, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill has done the opposite, which has resulted in numerous spills of leachate and other violations of our state’s hazardous waste laws.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Sewage spills are on the rise, contaminating waterways, flooding streets and threatening ecological and public health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Water UK said it was working to end sewage spills "as fast as we physically can".
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Global fund managers are being haunted by a new worry — the possibility that bond yields could shoot higher in a “disorderly” manner, stoking volatility that potentially spills over into stocks and the broader economy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
They’re all looking at her as she approaches, and she knows this means they have a surprise for her, and so she spills her water, and it splashes onto her salad.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
The losses spilled over into most Asian markets, with China’s Shanghai Composite Index falling 0.5%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Now they’re on opposite sides of a court fight that has spilled onto the Nov. 3 ballot and threatens further development on the nearly 300-acre site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Two ships were hit off the Bulgarian coast on October 6, followed by another two on Tuesday -- the first time the conflict has spilled over into the waters off the country.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
The boardroom tussle has increasingly spilled into the public domain, with Tata Sons and Trusts clashing through legal notices and conflicting statements.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The moon was growing again, and its milky light spilled through gaps in the tree’s canopy.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Sewage is spilt when it is raining to prevent the system becoming overwhelmed and backing up into people's homes.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
Half-backs Marcus Smith and Jack van Poortvliet both missed out on selection last week and are named on a 6-2 bench spilt.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
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
We had it in rugby where fake blood was spilt, so we want to avoid that.
From BBC ● May 22, 2025
There was plenty of work to do, and he could pretend to concentrate hard on peeling the rotten leaves off the cabbages or sponging the spilt milk from the refrigerator floor.
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
Iranian state media shared footage of a ship matching Gem No.2 which appeared to show the vessel on fire with burning oil spilling into the sea.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
One possibility, a huge possibility, is that the catheter became dislodged from her vein and then was spilling the drugs into the surrounding tissue.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
But regardless, this sentiment is spilling into the real world, as a recent Gallup poll showed 71% of Americans opposed construction of the physical manifestation of AI: data centers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
While energy prices have pushed inflation higher, most policymakers saw few signs so far that higher energy costs are spilling over into everyday prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
I walked between the rows of beans, climbing up a twine grid, and the low, bushy vines spilling squash across the plot.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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