Search results for 'spoil':

spoil verb (past tense, past participle spoilt or spoiled, present participle spoiling) 1 to impair, ruin or make useless or valueless. 2 to mar or make less enjoyable • The contrived ending spoiled the film. 3 a to treat someone or something in an indulgent way; b to harm (a child, pet, etc) by the kind of over-indulgence that will lead to selfish behaviour, unreasonable expectations of others, etc • She is spoiling that boy - he never even has to tidy his room. 4 intrans said of food: to become unfit to eat. 5 to deliberately deface (a ballot paper, voting slip, etc) in order to make it invalid. noun (always spoils) 1 possessions taken by force; plunder • the spoils of war. 2 any benefits or rewards • a company car - just one of the spoils of the new job. be spoiling for something to seek out (a fight, argument, etc) eagerly. be spoiled or spoilt for choice to have so many options or alternatives that it is hard to decide which to choose.
ETYMOLOGY: 13c: from French espoillier, from Latin spoliare, from spolium plunder or booty.