spill

verb

/spɪl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they spill	/spɪl/ /spɪl/
he / she / it spills	/spɪlz/ /spɪlz/
past simple spilled	/spɪld/ /spɪld/
past participle spilled	/spɪld/ /spɪld/
past simple spilt	/spɪlt/ /spɪlt/
past participle spilt	/spɪlt/ /spɪlt/
-ing form spilling	/ˈspɪlɪŋ/ /ˈspɪlɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[intransitive, transitive] (especially of liquid) to flow over the edge of a container by accident; to make liquid do this
- Water had spilled out of the bucket onto the floor.
- The bag split, and sugar spilled everywhere.
- (figurative) Light spilled from the windows.
- (figurative) He opened the curtains, letting the morning light spill into the room.
- spill something He startled her and made her spill her drink.
- Thousands of gallons of crude oil were spilled into the ocean.
- I managed to carry three full glasses without spilling a drop.
- I accidentally spilled my drink all over him.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- almost
- accidentally
- out
- …
verb + spill
- try not to
- let something
preposition
- across
- down
- from
- …
See full entry
[intransitive] + adv./prep. (of people) to come out of a place in large numbers and spread out
- The doors opened and people spilled into the street.
- After the clubs closed, the drinkers spilled out into the streets.

Word Originverb Old English spillan ‘kill, destroy, waste, shed (blood)’; of unknown origin.

Idioms

cry over spilt milk (British English)

(US English cry over spilled milk)

to waste time worrying about something that has happened that you cannot do anything about
- As the saying goes—it's no use crying over spilt milk.

spill the beans

(informal) to tell somebody something that should be kept secret or private

spill (somebody’s) blood

(formal or literary) to kill or wound somebody
- Nothing can justify spilling innocent blood.

spill your guts (to somebody)

(North American English, informal) to tell somebody everything you know or feel about something, because you are upset
- He has spilled his guts in his new autobiography.

spill

noun

/spɪl/

Idioms

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[countable]
(also formal spillage [uncountable, countable])
an act of letting a liquid come or fall out of a container; the amount of liquid that comes or falls out
- Many seabirds died as a result of the oil spill.
- I wiped up the coffee spills on the table.
[countable] a long match, or a thin piece of twisted paper, used for lighting fires, oil lamps, etc.
[countable, usually singular] a fall, especially from a bicycle or a boat
- to take a spill

Word Originnoun sense 1 and noun sense 3 Old English spillan ‘kill, destroy, waste, shed (blood)’; of unknown origin. noun sense 2 Middle English (in the sense ‘sharp fragment of wood’). The current sense date from the early 19th cent.

Idioms

(the) thrills and spills

(informal) the excitement that is involved in dangerous activities, especially sports
- Experience the thrills and spills of surfing!
More Like This Rhyming pairs in idioms
Rhyming pairs in idioms
- doom and gloom
- fair and square
- high and dry
- huff and puff
- name and shame
- slice and dice
- thrills and spills
- wear and tear
- wheel and deal
- wine and dine