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Spoil Very Common

Spoil has 13 different meanings across 2 categories:

Noun · Verb

Definitions
Noun
1

(usually plural) valuables taken by violence (especially in war)

"to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy"

2

the act of spoiling something by causing damage to it

"her spoiling my dress was deliberate"

3

the act of stripping and taking by force

"The invading army marched through the countryside, spoiling every village they encountered to weaken the local resistance."

4

Plunder taken from an enemy or victim.

"The victorious army celebrated after securing a massive cache of spoil from the conquered city's treasury."

Verb
1

make a mess of, destroy or ruin

"I botched the dinner and we had to eat out"

"the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement"

2

become unfit for consumption or use

"the meat must be eaten before it spoils"

3

alter from the original

"The special effects team had to spoil the lighting of the scene because the rainstorm changed the mood entirely."

4

treat with excessive indulgence

"grandparents often pamper the children"

"Let's not mollycoddle our students!"

5

hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of

"What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"

"foil your opponent"

6

have a strong desire or urge to do something

"She is itching to start the project"

"He is spoiling for a fight"

7

destroy and strip of its possession

"The soldiers raped the beautiful country"

8

make imperfect

"nothing marred her beauty"

9

To strip (someone who has been killed or defeated) of their arms or armour.

"The victorious warriors stripped the fallen enemy of his armor and weapons before dragging him away."

Example Sentences
"to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy" noun
"her spoiling my dress was deliberate" noun
"I botched the dinner and we had to eat out" verb
"the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement" verb
"the meat must be eaten before it spoils" verb
"grandparents often pamper the children" verb
"Let's not mollycoddle our students!" verb
"What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge" verb
"foil your opponent" verb
"She is itching to start the project" verb
See Also
despoil spoilage put crimp in rug go sour armour go for burton damage
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
stolen property injury plundering fail decay modify treat prevent desire destroy damage
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
addle curdle load disappoint dash short-circuit ruin defile deface

Origin

The word "spoil" comes from the Old French espoillier, which was borrowed from the Latin spoliāre. Its original meaning in Latin was to pillage or ruin.

Rhyming Words
oil voil roil toil soil noil coil foil boil moil reoil deoil droil aboil broil anoil snoil unoil choil thoil
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