Sekirov Dictionary

spoil

/spɔɪl/

verb 11
noun 3
forms 7
phrases 2

verb11

•
to make something worse, so that it is no longer good or no longer fit to use
- All this sun spoils me for vacations in the far North.
•
To go bad; to become sour or rancid; to decay.
- Make sure you put the milk back in the fridge; otherwise it will spoil.
•
To render (a ballot) invalid by deliberately defacing.
- Dr Jonathan Grant (Letters, April 22) feels the best way to show his disaffection with political parties over Iraq is to spoil his ballot paper. — 2003
To prematurely reveal major events or the ending of (a story etc.); to ruin (a surprise) by exposing ahead of time as a spoiler.
To ruin the character of, by overindulgence; to coddle or pamper to excess.
•
To be very eager (for something).
- Senator Toombs who announced his readiness to whip Great Britain [...] has been spoiling for a fight ever since — 1858
To reduce the lift generated by an airplane or wing by deflecting air upwards, usually with a spoiler.
(no longer used) To strip (someone who has been killed or defeated) of arms or armour.
•
(no longer used) To strip or deprive (someone) of possessions; to rob, despoil.
- All that herde hym wer amased and sayde: ys nott this he that spoylled them whych called on this name in Jerusalem? — 1526
•
(no longer used) To plunder, pillage (a city, country etc.).
- Outlaws, which, lurking in woods, used to break forth to rob and spoil. — 1596
•
(no longer used) To carry off (goods) by force; to steal.
- No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man. — 1611

noun3

•
Plunder taken from an enemy or victim.
- Those thousand horse shall sweat with martiall spoyle Of conquered kingdomes, and of Cities sackt, […] — 1587
Material (such as rock or earth) removed in the course of an excavation, or in mining or dredging. Tailings. Such material could be utilised somewhere else.
•
(no longer used) The act of taking plunder from an enemy or victim; spoliation, pillage, rapine.
- This countrey swarmes with vile outragious men, That liue by rapine and by lawlesse spoile, Fit souldiers for the wicked Tamburlaine. — 1587

forms

spoil'd · spoiled · spoilt · spoiling · spoileth · spoils · spoilest

Phrases with spoil

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