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Added 9 October 2026

spoil

/spɔɪl/ noun

Latin root: spoliō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about spoil at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

(usually plural) valuables taken by violence (especially in war).
to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy
The act of spoiling something by causing damage to it.
her spoiling my dress was deliberate
The act of stripping and taking by force.

verb

Make a mess of, destroy or ruin.
I botched the dinner and we had to eat out
Become unfit for consumption or use.
the meat must be eaten before it spoils
Alter from the original.

Origin

From Middle English spoilen, spuylen, borrowed from Old French espoillier, espollier, espuler, from Latin spoliō, spoliāre (“pillage, ruin, spoil”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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