spoil1 verbspoil2 noun
spoilspoil1 /spɔɪl/ ●●● S3 verb (past tense and past participle spoiled or spoilt /spɔɪlt/ British English) 
WORD ORIGINspoil
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French espoillier, from Latin spoliare ‘to strip, rob’, from spolium; ➔ SPOILSVERB TABLE
spoil
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | spoil |
| he, she, it | spoils | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | spoiled, spoilt |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have spoiled, spoilt |
| he, she, it | has spoiled, spoilt | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had spoiled, spoilt |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will spoil |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have spoiled, spoilt |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am spoiling |
| he, she, it | is spoiling | |
| you, we, they | are spoiling | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was spoiling |
| you, we, they | were spoiling | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been spoiling |
| he, she, it | has been spoiling | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been spoiling |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be spoiling |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been spoiling |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A badly positioned path can spoil the appearance of a garden.
- Danny was her favourite grandson and she spoiled him rotten.
- Don't let me spoil your plans.
- He got very drunk that evening, and seemed determined to spoil things for all of us.
- His jealousy spoiled their relationship, and she left him after a few months.
- It's too bad her good looks are spoiled by her nose.
- Most of the food in the refrigerator had spoiled.
- New housing developments are spoiling the countryside for everyone.
- One thoughtless comment spoiled the whole evening.
- Roses? You're spoiling me, Bill.
- She wanted to do her own thing, but was afraid of spoiling Christmas for the rest of the family.
- Starting a family so soon would definitely spoil her career prospects for her.
- The assassination attempt has definitely spoilt the previously positive atmosphere between the opposing parties.
- The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.
- The power station is extremely ugly, and it spoils the view of the sea.
- This scandal could spoil the Senator's chances of becoming President.
- This was her moment of glory, and she wasn't going to let anyone spoil it.
- We've been spoiled by all the good restaurants around here.
- We were going to get married, but then war broke out and spoiled everything.
- Why did you have to invite Jerry? You've spoiled the whole weekend.
- Down in London there was only one thing spoiling the continuing party atmosphere.
- He really didn't like it the first time we played it, so he tried spoiling it.
- It seemed to him that Vincent came home spoiling for a fight.
- Oh, but it would spoil Christmas - the last Christmas Day she and Susan would have together.
- Our national supply of top-grade, rugged military leadership material must already be spoiled.
- When giving positive attention, do not spoil the positive message with qualifiers.
THESAURUS
to have a bad effect on something so that it is much less attractive, enjoyable etc: · New housing developments are spoiling the countryside.· The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.
to spoil something completely and permanently: · Using harsh soap to wash your face can ruin your skin.· The argument ruined the evening for me.
written to spoil something by making it less attractive or enjoyable: · His handsome Arab features were marred by a long scar across his face.· Outbreaks of fighting marred the New Year celebrations.
to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, or impressive: · The huge number of tourists rather detracts from the city’s appeal.· There were a few minor irritations, but this did not detract from our enjoyment of the holiday.
to spoil something that you have been trying to achieve: · The bombings undermined several months of careful negotiations.
to spoil a friendly relationship between people or countries: · The affair has soured relations between the UK and Russia.
to spoil a close relationship completely, so that people can no longer trust each other: · Their marriage was poisoned by a terrible dark secret.
informal to spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned: · If there’s any delay, it will mess up our whole schedule.
Longman Language Activatorto make something look, taste, or seem much less good · A badly positioned path can spoil the appearance of a garden.· The power station is extremely ugly, and it spoils the view of the sea.spoil something for somebody · New housing developments are spoiling the countryside for everyone.
to completely spoil something: · The rain had ruined her best velvet skirt.· Don't use harsh soap to wash your face. It will ruin your skin.· Protestors say that the proposed new airport will ruin this peaceful area.
written to spoil the appearance or beauty of a person or place: · Electricity cables and oil pipelines mar many of the world's most beautiful landscapes.· He had handsome Arabic features, marred by a long scar across his face.
to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, impressive etc: · Even a bruise on her cheekbone did not detract from her beauty.· The proposed building would detract from the character of the surrounding area.
to spoil someone's work or plans · Don't let me spoil your plans.· This scandal could spoil the Senator's chances of becoming President.· We were going to get married, but then war broke out and spoiled everything.spoil something for somebody · Starting a family so soon would definitely spoil her career prospects for her.
to completely spoil what someone has been trying to do: · Surely you don't want to ruin all our good work, do you?· Serious in-fighting ruined the Conservatives' chances of winning the election.
informal to spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned: mess up something: · The travel agents messed up the arrangements and there was no room for us at the hotel.mess something up: · We secretly organized a party for her, but then Bill messed everything up by telling her about it.
to spoil something that has taken a long time to develop: · The kidnappings undermined several months of delicate peace negotiations.· The US was accused of undermining international efforts to combat global warming.
informal to completely spoil something such as a plan, especially by doing something stupid: · Someone screwed up and what was supposed to be a confidential email was copies to everyone in the company.screw something up: · I can't trust you to do anything right can I? You always manage to screw things up.screw up something: · There was no way he was going to allow her to screw up his plans.
to deliberately spoil someone's plans or arrangements because you do not want them to succeed: · Her father sabotaged her acting ambitions by refusing to let her go to drama school.· The attack is being seen as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the peace talks.
British /throw a monkey wrench in/into something American informal to unexpectedly do something that prevents a plan or process from continuing or succeeding: · "He won't lend us the money after all.'' "Well, that's really thrown a spanner in the works, hasn't it?''· The President's veto threw a wrench into a program that had already been approved by a big majority of the Congress.
to spoil someone's plan, suggestion, or attitude towards something, by saying something that makes it seem less attractive or less likely to succeed: · Her mother had poured cold water on the whole idea of Eva going to Africa.· The committee's final report, just published, pours cold water on government proposals for helping the unemployed.
to spoil a relationship or friendship · His jealousy spoiled their relationship, and she left him after a few months.· The assassination attempt has definitely spoilt the previously positive atmosphere between the opposing parties.
to spoil a friendly relationship between people, especially when this happens gradually: · The affair did not seem to have soured their friendship.· The global trend towards higher taxation on fuel consumption is souring relations with leading oil-producing states.· The incident was serious enough to sour the atmosphere for weeks.
to spoil a relationship, especially a close one, by causing a situation in which people can no longer trust each other: · Our marriage was poisoned by mistrust, deceit and jealousy.
to completely spoil a relationship or friendship: · I don't want this to destroy our friendship.· Her feelings of self-doubt had destroyed every relationship that she had ever had.
to make an event less enjoyable or successful · The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.· Why did you have to invite Jerry? You've spoiled the whole weekend.· This was her moment of glory, and she wasn't going to let anyone spoil it.spoil something for somebody · She wanted to do her own thing, but was afraid of spoiling Christmas for the rest of the family.spoil things · He got very drunk that evening, and seemed determined to spoil things for all of us.
to completely spoil an event or occasion, with the result that no-one enjoys it: · How can you prevent stomach upsets from ruining your holiday?ruin something for somebody: · John and Sandy argued all the time, which completely ruined the evening for the rest of us.
if something unpleasant such as an argument or accident mars a big or important event, it makes it less enjoyable or less successful: · Outbreaks of fighting and lawlessness marred the New Year celebrations.· The race was marred by a horrific accident involving Niki Lauda.
if bad news, bad weather etc puts a damper on something, especially on a social event such as a party, it spoils people's enjoyment of it: · The bad news put a damper on the celebrations.· Torrential rain put a damper on the event, sending bedraggled guests squelching across lawns to seek shelter.
if something casts a shadow over an event, period of time etc, it makes people feel less happy or hopeful because they are worrying about it: · The threat of war cast a shadow over the summer of 1939.· This argument with Kuroda did, I must admit, cast a shadow over my mood.
to spoil the good opinion that people have of someone to spoil the idea that people have about someone, especially a famous person who is often on television, in newspapers and magazines etc: · The star's cleancut image has been spoiled by accusations of gambling and drug-taking.
to make people no longer have a good opinion about someone, especially a politician or someone with an important job: · My main concern was to prevent this incident from damaging my reputation.
containing information about someone's dishonest or immoral behaviour, which damages the good opinion that people have of them: · We can't risk any damaging scandals just before a Presidential election.· His career had been ruined by the sensational and damaging stories that appeared in the popular press.damaging to: · The recent court cases have been very damaging to the public image of the medical profession.
to damage the good opinion that people have of a person or organization, especially when this is done deliberately and in order to get an advantage: · It was a blatant attempt to discredit the Prime Minister.· There were reports that his campaign team had been trying to dig up information that might discredit his rival.
when an organization such as a political party or newspaper deliberately tries to find out and tell people about bad things someone in a public position has done, for example so that people are less likely to vote for them: · The magistrates who investigated his business empire have been made victims of a smear campaign.smear campaign against: · He called on people to ignore what he called a smear campaign against the government.
someone who spoils things informal someone who spoils a happy event for other people, especially by refusing to join in with everyone else: · Stop being a wet blanket and come and dance.· Does he have to come on vacation with us? He's such a wet blanket!
someone who deliberately spoils someone else's enjoyment, happiness, or plans: · My ex-husband was a real spoiler who turned every happy event into a nightmare.
informal someone who spoils other people's enjoyment, especially by trying to prevent them from doing something: · "I don't think we should go in there - someone might see us." "Oh, don't be such a spoilsport - come on!"
spoken informal someone who spoils other people's fun, for example by saying that they should not be doing what they are doing: · When he said it was time to wind things up, the others accused him of being a party pooper.
informal someone who disapproves of things that other people enjoy and who tries to stop them enjoying themselves: · We wanted to do a sponsored dance after work but those killjoys in Head Office wouldn't let us.
not spoiled a place or area that is unspoiled or unspoilt has not been spoiled by being changed: · This is one of Africa's oldest remaining areas of unspoilt rainforest.· an unspoiled fishing village on the Mediterranean coast· It was only by the grace of God that the village remained largely unspoiled.
not spoiled in any way - use this about the opinion people have of someone or how well someone has done their job: · Lord Edwards is retiring after an unblemished career that has lasted thirty years.· an unblemished record of service to the community· She is a woman with an unblemished reputation of fairness and competence.
to treat someone very kindly or too kindly to treat someone, especially a child, too kindly and give them everything they want whether they should have it or not, so that they behave badly: · You're spoiling that kid. He's getting cheeky and selfish.spoil somebody rotten (=spoil someone very much): · Danny was her favourite grandson and she spoiled him rotten.
to look after a person or animal very kindly, and spend a lot of time trying to make them happy and comfortable, sometimes in a way that is not good for their health or character: · She really pampers that dog - it's even got its own little bed next to hers.pamper yourself: · Take some time out to pamper yourself with an aromatherapy massage.
British to look after someone very well and pay a lot of attention to them: · When I came out of hospital and got back home, everyone made a great fuss of me and I loved it.· My sister was jealous because Dad made such a fuss of me.· I enjoyed having people fussing over me - it made me feel important.
WORD SETSabstain, verbabstention, nounadopt, verbballot, nounballot box, nounballot paper, nounblackball, verbby-election, nouncasting vote, nouncloture, nounconstituency, nounconstituent, noundeliver, verbdeposit, noundeselect, verbdisenfranchise, verbdisfranchise, verbdivision, noundoorstep, verbdream ticket, nounelect, verbelection, nounelectioneering, nounelective, adjectiveelector, nounelectoral, adjectiveelectoral register, nounelectorate, nounenfranchise, verbexit poll, nounfloating voter, nounfranchise, noungeneral election, nounhung parliament, nounlobby, nounmajority, nounmotion, nounno, nounoff-year, nounopen primary, nounoutvote, verboverall majority, nounplebiscite, nounplurality, nounpocket veto, nounpoint of order, nounpoll, nounpolling, nounpolling booth, nounpolling day, nounpolling station, nounpollster, nounPR, nounprimary, nounprimary election, nounproportional representation, nounpsephology, nounrecount, nounre-elect, verbreferendum, nounresolution, nounresolve, verbreturn, verbreturning officer, nounrig, verbrun, verbrun-off, nounscrutineer, nounshow of hands, nounslate, nounsplit ticket, nounspoil, verbsponsor, nounsponsor, verbstalking horse, nounstraight ticket, nounstraw poll, nounstronghold, nounsuffrage, nountactical voting, nounteller, nounthree-line whip, nounvote, verbvote of censure, nounvote of confidence, nounvote of no confidence, nounvoter, nounvoting machine, nounward, nounwrite-in, nounX, nounyea, nounyes, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
Why do you always have to spoil everything? His mother and sisters spoil him rotten (=spoil him very much).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a spoiled brat Unfortunately, a small minority want to spoil everyone else’s enjoyment.
Why do you always have to spoil everything? His mother and sisters spoil him rotten (=spoil him very much). (=make you not feel like eating a meal)· Don’t give the children any more sweets – it will spoil their appetite.
(=ones that have been marked incorrectly and so cannot be counted)
a spoiled brat (=allowed to do or have whatever he or she wants, and behaving badly)· He’s behaving like a spoilt child.
· Too many tourists can spoil the countryside.
Unfortunately, a small minority want to spoil everyone else’s enjoyment. (=be very eager to fight with someone)· The kids went round in gangs, all spoiling for a fight.
· Their friendship was spoilt after a fierce argument.
(=make it look bad)· Some local residents think the wind turbines spoil the view.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· I would do anything rather than spoil your chance in life, and you may have heard different stories about me.· I was beyond fury at this little creature, who had spoiled my chances at amassing a fortune of pink clay.· But it is equally possible that he could spoil any chances he might have had by making some political slip.
· Spare the rod, spoil the child.· An overempowered child is a spoiled child.· In spoiling the children they are vicariously spoiling themselves.· Rather, a spoiled child is the product of parents who have difficulty saying no and meaning it.· She had spoiled the child rotten.· This was the Western world, where to spare the rod was to spoil the child.
· As the Empire player you are spoiled for choice.· Often, we seem to be spoiled for choice and hampered, even paralysed, by our fear of the unknown.
· They nearly spoiled a great day out.· Nothing was going to spoil a divine day for a Saturday hike.· Wet and wintry weather regularly spoils the riding day treat for disabled youngsters from all over Merseyside.· He spoiled her day in, day out.· And even the police were reluctant to spoil the bikers day.
· But the Liberal leader did not let its transience spoil the effect.· They said that twice, which rather spoiled the effect as far as I was concerned.· Some one had slightly spoiled the effect by putting a kettle on one end.· There is some fine modelling on the façade although the drainpipes now spoil much of the effect.· A weak dancer playing Albrecht or James spoils the total effect.· It's difficult to describe in detail without spoiling the effect for future viewers, something that goes for the whole film.· Flat braid usually looks better if hand-sewn as lines of machine sewing may spoil the finished effect.
· It seemed to him that Vincent came home spoiling for a fight.· She is an egocentric, angry, combative woman spoiling for a fight.· Be that as it may, Cooper was spoiling for a fight, as this unpublished letter shows.
· I won't detain you and spoil your fun.· But the language gap does not spoil their fun as they learn how to dive in the offshore reefs.· Cars, of course, could and should have been excluded but that would have spoiled the fun.· Revealing his conclusion would spoil the fun because Hitt tells his story with a deft touch and a sharp wit.· Why did he have the feeling he was spoiling her fun?
· Down in London there was only one thing spoiling the continuing party atmosphere.· It quite spoiled our little party.· Sadly it was sooner, and it spoiled the whole party.· However, you can also be firm, to ensure one child does not spoil the party for the rest.
· These are likely to meet with opposition on the grounds of spoiling favourite views.· The whole Wilder Kaiser area is a conservation area, so nothing will spoil the view.· If building work is likely to spoil a view or block light, they may be able to take action.
VERB· I shall not let it spoil my performance.· He was a terrific guy who never let his tough-streets upbringing spoil his love for the game or the fans.· I was not going to let Mala spoil the anticipation.· Why should he let her spoil his pleasure?· But the Liberal leader did not let its transience spoil the effect.
· He really didn't like it the first time we played it, so he tried spoiling it.· Just as he spoilt the old humanity, he now tries to spoil the new one.
· I came with Matthew Preston but I don't want to spoil his fun if he wants to stay on.· Yet he was put through three trials by the evil king, who wanted to spoil the marriage.· Now I don't want to spoil your lunch here but we're talking about dieting.· I haven't told my husband about this and I don't want my ex to spoil what I have now.· She thinks you don't want to spoil things with careless talk.· Now I want to spoil you in return.· She didn't want to spoil the evening.· I don't want the jacket spoiled.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- Be that as it may, Cooper was spoiling for a fight, as this unpublished letter shows.
- If too many cooks spoil the broth, too many Popes tarnish the faith!
- There were too many cooks, they said.
- Brittany's grandparents spoil her rotten.
WORD FAMILYnounspoilsspoilspoileradjectivespoilt/spoiled ≠ unspoilt/unspoiledverbspoil
1damage [transitive] to have a bad effect on something so that it is no longer attractive, enjoyable, useful etc SYN ruin: The whole park is spoiled by litter. We didn’t let the incident spoil our day. I don’t want to spoil your fun. Why do you always have to spoil everything? → spoil/ruin your appetite at appetite(1)► see thesaurus at damage2treat too kindly [transitive] to give a child everything they want, or let them do whatever they want, often with the result that they behave badly:
She’s an only child, but they didn’t really spoil her. His mother and sisters spoil him rotten (=spoil him very much).3treat kindly [transitive] to look after someone in a way that is very kind or too kind: You’ll have to let me spoil you on your birthday.spoil yourself Go on, spoil yourself. Have another piece of cake.4decay [intransitive] to start to decay: Food will spoil if the temperature in your freezer rises above 8°C.5voting [transitive] British English to mark a ballot paper wrongly so that your vote is not included6be spoiling for a fight/argument to be very eager to fight or argue with someoneTHESAURUSspoil to have a bad effect on something so that it is much less attractive, enjoyable etc: · New housing developments are spoiling the countryside.· The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.ruin to spoil something completely and permanently: · Using harsh soap to wash your face can ruin your skin.· The argument ruined the evening for me.mar written to spoil something by making it less attractive or enjoyable: · His handsome Arab features were marred by a long scar across his face.· Outbreaks of fighting marred the New Year celebrations.detract from something to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, or impressive: · The huge number of tourists rather detracts from the city’s appeal.· There were a few minor irritations, but this did not detract from our enjoyment of the holiday.undermine to spoil something that you have been trying to achieve: · The bombings undermined several months of careful negotiations.sour to spoil a friendly relationship between people or countries: · The affair has soured relations between the UK and Russia.poison to spoil a close relationship completely, so that people can no longer trust each other: · Their marriage was poisoned by a terrible dark secret.mess something up informal to spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned: · If there’s any delay, it will mess up our whole schedule.spoil1 verbspoil2 noun
spoilspoil2 noun EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Army and nation divide the spoil fifty-fifty.
- At this stage we were not aware of the full significance of the movement of the spoil to form the rampart.
- So rich was the legacy of the ancients that the fund of spoil has lasted into our own times.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a spoiled brat Unfortunately, a small minority want to spoil everyone else’s enjoyment.
(=make you not feel like eating a meal)· Don’t give the children any more sweets – it will spoil their appetite.
(=ones that have been marked incorrectly and so cannot be counted)
a spoiled brat (=allowed to do or have whatever he or she wants, and behaving badly)· He’s behaving like a spoilt child.
· Too many tourists can spoil the countryside.
Unfortunately, a small minority want to spoil everyone else’s enjoyment. (=be very eager to fight with someone)· The kids went round in gangs, all spoiling for a fight.
· Their friendship was spoilt after a fierce argument.
(=make it look bad)· Some local residents think the wind turbines spoil the view.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· A daunting task lay ahead, as the spoil heaps covered an area of about 300 square yards.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- If too many cooks spoil the broth, too many Popes tarnish the faith!
- There were too many cooks, they said.
- Brittany's grandparents spoil her rotten.
WORD FAMILYnounspoilsspoilspoileradjectivespoilt/spoiled ≠ unspoilt/unspoiledverbspoil
1spoils [plural] formal a)the things that someone gets by being successful: They tried to take more than a fair share of the spoils. b)things taken by an army from a defeated enemy, or things taken by thievesthe spoils of war/victory etc2[uncountable] waste material such as earth and stones from a mine or hole in the ground: spoil heaps