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:
Fixating on my fishing rod, I had allowed the idling machine to bottom out in the shell spoil, some of which got sucked into the intake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
That ending, which I won’t spoil here, is where the film most often divides.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 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 paper reports the catalyst for his sobriety was the reunion tour; it says he told the documentary the experience was too "precious" to spoil by partying.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Grosie said we were going to have a big dinner in about an hour and a half, and that she didn’t want to spoil our appetites.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
So I set out to see if renting an EV is a solid money-saving option for the novices among us or a time-wasting headache that spoils a road trip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
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
He's sweet, respects my physical boundaries, and spoils me with thoughtful gifts like handing me his parents' unused tickets to the Yankees game so I can take Dad for his birthday.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
The proportion of spoiled and blank votes also decreased.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
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
Estranged parents—such as Laura Wellington, aka Doormat Mom—say that estranged children are misguided and spoiled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 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
I knew that Hari had been spoiled and would not have been easy to live with, yet I was sure I would have been happier than I was now.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
"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
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
Some could argue British music lovers are spoilt for choice.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2024
"When I was a child I was very spoilt by my parents. I was oblivious to the outside world," she told the Guardian in 2020.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2024
“An old dear like me being able to handle three spoilt Pollyannas ‘amazingly.’”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Brian Lee, 66, a veteran dog behaviorist and trainer, thinks too many owners are spoiling their pooches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Hundreds of French supermarkets have been hit by a cyber attack that caused their fridges and freezers to heat up, spoiling fresh and frozen food estimated to be worth millions of euros.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Sepinwall recalled how, back when “The Sopranos” first aired in the late 1990s and 2000s, most people were watching it at the same time, making it easier to avoid spoiling who got whacked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 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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