Definition Definition

spoil - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'spoil' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Spoil [ n.]
- That which is taken from another by violence; especially, the plunder taken from an enemy; pillage; booty.
- Public offices and their emoluments regarded as the peculiar property of a successful party or faction, to be bestowed for its own advantage; -- commonly in the plural; as to the victor belong the spoils.
- That which is gained by strength or effort.
- The act or practice of plundering; robbery; aste.
- Corruption; cause of corruption.
- The slough, or cast skin, of a serpent or other animal.
2 . Spoil [ v. i.]
- To practice plunder or robbery.
- To lose the valuable qualities; to be corrupted; to decay; as, fruit will soon spoil in warm weather.
3 . Spoil [ v. t.]
- To plunder; to strip by violence; to pillage; to rob; -- with of before the name of the thing taken; as, to spoil one of his goods or possession.
- To seize by violence;; to take by force; to plunder.
- To cause to decay and perish; to corrput; to vitiate; to mar.
- To render useless by injury; to injure fatally; to ruin; to destroy; as, to spoil paper; to have the crops spoiled by insects; to spoil the eyes by reading.

Meaning of 'spoil' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . spoil [ n]
Meaning (1):
- the act of spoiling something by causing damage to it
Example in sentence:
  • her spoiling my dress was deliberate
Meaning (2):
- (usually plural) valuables taken by violence (especially in war)
Example in sentence:
  • to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy
3 . spoil [ v]
Meaning (3):
- hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
Example in sentence:
  • foil your opponent;
  • What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge
Meaning (4):
- treat with excessive indulgence
Example in sentence:
  • grandparents often pamper the children;
  • Let's not mollycoddle our students!
Meaning (5):
- have a strong desire or urge to do something
Example in sentence:
  • He is spoiling for a fight;
  • She is itching to start the project
Meaning (6):
- make a mess of, destroy or ruin
Example in sentence:
  • I botched the dinner and we had to eat out;
  • the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement
Meaning (7):
- make imperfect
Example in sentence:
  • nothing marred her beauty
Meaning (8):
- become unfit for consumption or use
Example in sentence:
  • the meat must be eaten before it spoils
Meaning (9):
- destroy and strip of its possession
Example in sentence:
  • The soldiers raped the beautiful country

Nearby Words:

spodomancy spodomantic spodumene spoffish spoilable spoiled spoiler spoilfive spoilful spoiling

See 'spoil' also in:

Dictionary.com Google Translator Wikipedia.com Merriam Webster

Related Definitions

  • Rear spoiler
    Rear spoiler is an aerodynamic device attached to a vehicles trunk lid or liftgate consisting of one or more airfoils supported by uprights that allows
  • Spoiler
    Spoiler is an attachment to a vehicle (or component of its body) originally introduced for the purpose of directing airflow over such
  • Roof spoiler
    Roof spoiler is a spoiler that is mounted from the rearward-facing edge of a vehicles roof to the liftgate just above the rear windshield, or
  • Lip spoiler
    Limited warranty is a vehicle warranty that is in effect for a specified number of years and/or miles driven. Lip spoiler is a spoiler that is flush-mounted to a vehicles trunk lid or liftgate that allows air to flow over it but not under it (and that is usually installed for aesthetic purposes).

Categories

Browse Dictionary