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spoil
[ spoil ]
verb (used with object)
- 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.
Synonyms: pamper, indulge, coddle, baby, harm, ruin, mar, injure, impair, disfigure, damage
- to diminish or impair the quality of; affect detrimentally:
Bad weather spoiled their vacation.
- to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc.:
to spoil a child by pampering him.
- Archaic. to strip (persons, places, etc.) of goods, valuables, etc.; plunder; pillage; despoil.
- Archaic. to take or seize by force.
verb (used without object)
- to become bad, or unfit for use, as food or other perishable substances; become tainted or putrid:
Milk spoils if not refrigerated.
- to plunder, pillage, or rob.
noun
- Often spoils. booty, loot, or plunder taken in war or robbery.
- the act of plundering.
- an object of plundering.
- Usually spoils.
- the emoluments and advantages of public office viewed as won by a victorious political party:
the spoils of office.
- prizes won or treasures accumulated:
a child's spoils brought home from a party.
- waste material, as that which is cast up in mining, excavating, quarrying, etc.
- an imperfectly made object, damaged during the manufacturing process.
spoil
/ spɔɪl /
verb
- tr to cause damage to (something), in regard to its value, beauty, usefulness, etc
- tr to weaken the character of (a child) by complying unrestrainedly with its desires
- intr (of perishable substances) to become unfit for consumption or use
the fruit must be eaten before it spoils
- intr sport to disrupt the play or style of an opponent, as to prevent him from settling into a rhythm
- archaic.to strip (a person or place) of (property or goods) by force or violence
- be spoiling forto have an aggressive desire for (a fight, etc)
noun
- waste material thrown up by an excavation
- any treasure accumulated by a person
this gold ring was part of the spoil
- obsolete.
- the act of plundering
- a strategically placed building, city, etc, captured as plunder
Other Words From
- spoil·a·ble adjective
- spoil·less adjective
- un·spoil·a·ble adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of spoil1
Word History and Origins
Origin of spoil1
Idioms and Phrases
- be spoiling for, Informal. to be very eager for; be desirous of:
It was obvious that he was spoiling for a fight.
More idioms and phrases containing spoil
- spare the rod and spoil the child
- too many cooks spoil the broth
- to the victor belong the spoils
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
He adds that "hundreds" of such bots would need to harvest the seabed at a time, bringing the spoils to a ship on the surface.
Both books are rife with mystery and the spoils of greed.
The three dictators will meet to share a meal as they carve up the world’s spoils for themselves.
Fans of delightfully weird claymation are spoiled with this year’s animated short category, from the sweets-filled fantasy of “Magic Candies” to the feral survival story of “Wander to Wonder.”
Her son Mark and daughter Mandy, said she was "the glue that made the family so close", and that they were truly spoiled having her as their mum.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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