spoil
spoil Lexical Profile
spoil Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To diminish or destroy the value, quality, or pleasure of something.
"Sudden afternoon thunderstorms threatened to spoil the outdoor graduation ceremony."
To become unfit for consumption through decay or decomposition, or to cause food to decay in this way.
"Dairy products will spoil quickly if they are left out on the counter in warm weather."
To harm the character of someone (especially a child) by being overly indulgent, or to treat someone with great kindness and generosity.
"The grandparents loved to spoil the children with homemade pastries during summer visits."
To be extremely eager or aggressive for an argument or competition (usually in the progressive form followed by 'for').
"After weeks of heated negotiations, both delegates seemed to be spoiling for a public debate."
• noun
Goods, valuables, or territory seized by force or acquired as a reward of victory (usually used in the plural).
"The victorious coalition divided the political spoils among its senior leaders after the election."
Waste earth, rock, or other refuse material excavated during mining, dredging, or quarrying operations.
"Engineers landscaped the mounds of mining spoil and planted native grasses to restore the hillside."
Word Nuance & Usage
Both 'spoiled' and 'spoilt' are valid past tense and past participle forms; 'spoiled' is standard in American English, whereas both forms are commonly used in British English.
• Rhymes for spoil
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English spoilen, borrowed from Old French espoillier ('to strip, plunder, or pillage'), from Latin spoliare, derived from spolium ('skin or hide stripped from an animal, or armor stripped from a defeated enemy').