Library / English Dictionary

SPOIL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: spoilt   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of stripping and taking by force

Synonyms:

despoilation; despoilment; despoliation; spoil; spoilation; spoliation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("spoil" is a kind of...):

pillage; pillaging; plundering (the act of stealing valuable things from a place)

Derivation:

spoil (destroy and strip of its possession)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of spoiling something by causing damage to it

Example:

her spoiling my dress was deliberate

Synonyms:

spoil; spoilage; spoiling

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("spoil" is a kind of...):

injury (an act that causes someone or something to receive physical damage)

Derivation:

spoil (make imperfect)

spoil (make a mess of, destroy or ruin)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Example:

to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Hypernyms ("spoil" is a kind of...):

stolen property (property that has been stolen)

Domain usage:

plural; plural form (the form of a word that is used to denote more than one)

Derivation:

spoil (destroy and strip of its possession)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Alter from the original

Synonyms:

corrupt; spoil

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "spoil" is one way to...):

modify (make less severe or harsh or extreme)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spoil"):

adulterate; debase; dilute; load; stretch (corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

spoliation ((law) the intentional destruction of a document or an alteration of it that destroys its value as evidence)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Become unfit for consumption or use

Example:

the meat must be eaten before it spoils

Synonyms:

go bad; spoil

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "spoil" is one way to...):

decay (undergo decay or decomposition)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spoil"):

addle (become rotten)

curdle (go bad or sour)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

spoilage; spoiling (the process of becoming spoiled)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make imperfect

Example:

nothing marred her beauty

Synonyms:

deflower; impair; mar; spoil; vitiate

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "spoil" is one way to...):

damage (inflict damage upon)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spoil"):

cloud; corrupt; defile; sully; taint (place under suspicion or cast doubt upon)

blemish; deface; disfigure (mar or spoil the appearance of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

spoil (the act of spoiling something by causing damage to it)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Destroy and strip of its possession

Example:

The soldiers raped the beautiful country

Synonyms:

despoil; plunder; rape; spoil; violate

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "spoil" is one way to...):

destroy; ruin (destroy completely; damage irreparably)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

spoil (the act of stripping and taking by force)

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

spoilation; spoliation (the act of stripping and taking by force)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Have a strong desire or urge to do something

Example:

He is spoiling for a fight

Synonyms:

itch; spoil

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "spoil" is one way to...):

desire; want (feel or have a desire for; want strongly)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Sense 6

Meaning:

Make a mess of, destroy or ruin

Example:

the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement

Synonyms:

ball up; blow; bobble; bodge; bollix; bollix up; bollocks; bollocks up; botch; botch up; bumble; bungle; flub; fluff; foul up; fuck up; fumble; louse up; mess up; mishandle; muck up; muff; screw up; spoil

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "spoil" is one way to...):

fail; go wrong; miscarry (be unsuccessful)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

spoil; spoilage; spoiling (the act of spoiling something by causing damage to it)

Sense 7

Meaning:

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

Example:

foil your opponent

Synonyms:

baffle; bilk; cross; foil; frustrate; queer; scotch; spoil; thwart

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "spoil" is one way to...):

forbid; foreclose; forestall; preclude; prevent (keep from happening or arising; make impossible)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "spoil"):

disappoint; let down (fail to meet the hopes or expectations of)

dash (destroy or break)

short-circuit (hamper the progress of; impede)

ruin (destroy or cause to fail)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 8

Meaning:

Treat with excessive indulgence

Example:

Let's not mollycoddle our students!

Synonyms:

baby; cocker; coddle; cosset; featherbed; indulge; mollycoddle; pamper; spoil

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "spoil" is one way to...):

do by; handle; treat (interact in a certain way)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

spoiler (someone who pampers or spoils by excessive indulgence)

Credits

 Context examples: 

There is a very clever essay in one of the books upstairs upon much such a subject, about young girls that have been spoilt for home by great acquaintance—The Mirror, I think.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Emma is spoiled by being the cleverest of her family.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

But I am spoilt, Fanny, for common female society.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Then continuing his former tone, he said, And yet this house you would spoil, Mrs. Dashwood?

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

The picturesque would be spoilt by admitting a fourth.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

She let her legs go limp like a spoiled child, and sat down on the trail.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

A biofilm developed in Brazil could extend the shelf life of eggs in the world’s poorest and hottest regions, where they spoil faster and are vulnerable to germs.

(Protective bio-shell could extend egg shelf life, SciDev.Net)

I found that the berries were spoiled by this operation, and the nuts and roots much improved.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

The hunting, for us, was spoiled.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

At first they melted as soon as they came in contact with the earth, but ever more fell, covering the ground, putting out the fire, spoiling his supply of moss-fuel.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)