spoils
spoils Lexical Profile
spoils Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Goods, valuables, or territory seized by force or acquired through victory, especially in war or competition.
"The victorious athletes celebrated and shared the spoils of their championship season."
Public offices, lucrative contracts, and privileges distributed by a successful political party to its supporters.
"Civil service reforms were enacted in the nineteenth century to curb the distribution of political spoils."
Waste earth, rock, or rubble excavated during mining, dredging, or construction operations.
"The engineering crew transported the dredging spoils to a designated containment site."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to stolen goods, plunder, or the rewards of political victory, 'spoils' is a pluralia tantum noun (always plural in form, though it usually takes a plural verb).
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Middle English 'spoil', via Old French 'espoille' from Latin 'spolium', originally meaning the hide stripped from an animal or the armor stripped from a defeated enemy.