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What (who) is Spoil - definition
WIKIMEDIA DISAMBIGUATION PAGE
Spoil (disambiguation)
spoil
¦ verb (past and past participle spoilt (chiefly Brit.) or spoiled)
1. diminish or destroy the value or quality of.
(of food) become unfit for eating.
mark (a ballot paper) incorrectly so as to invalidate one's vote.
2. harm the character of (a child) by being too indulgent.
treat with great or excessive kindness or generosity.
3. (be spoiling for) be extremely or aggressively eager for.
4. archaic rob by force or violence.
¦ noun
1. (spoils) stolen goods.
2. waste material brought up during the course of an excavation or a dredging or mining operation.
Phrases
be spoilt for choice Brit. have so many options that it is difficult to make a choice.
Derivatives
spoilage noun
Origin
ME: shortening of OFr. espoille (n.), espoillier (v.), from L. spoliare, from spolium 'plunder, skin stripped from an animal', or a shortening of despoil.
spoil
(spoils, spoiling, spoiled, spoilt)
Note: American English uses the form 'spoiled' as the past tense and past participle. British English uses either 'spoiled' or 'spoilt'.
1.
If you spoil something, you prevent it from being successful or satisfactory.
It's important not to let mistakes spoil your life...
Peaceful summer evenings can be spoilt by mosquitoes.
VERB: V n, V n
2.
If you spoil children, you give them everything they want or ask for. This is considered to have a bad effect on a child's character.
Grandparents are often tempted to spoil their grandchildren whenever they come to visit.
VERB: V n
• spoilt, spoiled
A spoilt child is rarely popular with other children...
Oh, that child. He's so spoiled.
ADJ
3.
If you spoil yourself or spoil another person, you give yourself or them something nice as a treat or do something special for them.
Spoil yourself with a new perfume this summer...
Perhaps I could employ someone to iron his shirts, but I wanted to spoil him. He was my man.
= pamper
VERB: V pron-refl, V n
4.
If food spoils or if it is spoilt, it is no longer fit to be eaten.
We all know that fats spoil by becoming rancid...
Some organisms are responsible for spoiling food and cause food poisoning...
VERB: V, V n
5.
If someone spoils their vote, they write something illegal on their voting paper, usually as a protest about the election, and their vote is not accepted. (BRIT)
They had broadcast calls for voters to spoil their ballot papers...
= deface
VERB: V n
6.
The spoils of something are things that people get as a result of winning a battle or of doing something successfully.
True to military tradition, the victors are now treating themselves to the spoils of war...
N-PLURAL: usu with supp
7.
If you say that someone is spoilt for choice or spoiled for choice, you mean that they have a great many things of the same type to choose from.
At lunchtime, MPs are spoilt for choice in 26 restaurants and bars.
PHRASE: v-link PHR
spoil
I. v. a.
1.
Plunder, rob, despoil, fleece, strip, ravage, waste.
2.
Injure, harm, disfigure, mar, damage, ruin, destroy.
3.
Steal, take, seize by violence.
4.
Corrupt, vitiate, mar, ruin.
II. v. n.
1.
Steal, pilfer, rob.
2.
Decay, be corrupted.
III. n.
1.
Booty, pillage, plunder, prey.
2.
Prize, booty, gain.
3.
Robbery, waste, pillage, rapine, spoliation.
4.
Slough, cast skin, tegument.
5.
Corruption, ruin, destruction.
Wikipedia
Spoil
Spoil or spoils:
- Plunder taken from an enemy or victim
- Material (such as rock, earth or other overburden) removed during:
- excavation
- mining
- dredging
- An Australian rules football tactic, see One percenter (Australian rules football)#Spoil
Examples of use of Spoil
1. Spoil your children with a range of toys and games, or spoil yourself with home and garden goodies.
2. What a shame, therefore, that he had to spoil it.
3. We don‘t want these people to spoil it," he said.
4. He said high temperatures in summer spoil fish faster.
5. But it doesn‘t spoil our bond,‘‘ Abu Nemaan said.