spoil
verb /spɔɪl/
/spɔɪl/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they spoil | /spɔɪl/ /spɔɪl/ |
| he / she / it spoils | /spɔɪlz/ /spɔɪlz/ |
| past simple spoiled | /spɔɪld/ /spɔɪld/ |
| past participle spoiled | /spɔɪld/ /spɔɪld/ |
| (British English also) past simple spoilt | /spɔɪlt/ /spɔɪlt/ |
| (British English also) past participle spoilt | /spɔɪlt/ /spɔɪlt/ |
| -ing form spoiling | /ˈspɔɪlɪŋ/ /ˈspɔɪlɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] spoil something to change something good into something bad, unpleasant, etc. synonym ruin
- Our camping trip was spoilt by bad weather.
- Don't let him spoil your evening.
- The tall buildings have spoiled the view.
- Don't eat too many nuts—you'll spoil your appetite (= will no longer be hungry at the proper time to eat).
- I won’t tell you what happens in the last chapter—I don’t want to spoil it for you.
Extra Examples- Don't let the bad weather spoil your trip.
- Her selfish behaviour completely spoiled the evening.
- I don't want to spoil things for everyone else.
- It would be a pity to spoil the surprise.
- Now, don't be hard on the children and spoil their fun!
- The bad weather really spoilt things for us.
- Why did they have to act so aggressively and spoil everything?
- I don't want to spoil your fun, but it's nearly time to go home.
- The new buildings have completely spoiled the view.
- The performance was spoilt by the constant noise from the audience.
- Why do you always have to spoil everything?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- quite
- rather
- …
- hate to
- not be going to
- not want to
- …
- [transitive] spoil somebody to give a child everything that they ask for and not enough discipline in a way that has a bad effect on their character and behaviour synonym overindulge
- She spoils those kids of hers.
- My grandparents used to spoil me rotten.
Extra Examples- He spoils the children with expensive toys.
- Those children are thoroughly spoiled!
Oxford Collocations Dictionarypreposition- with
- be completely spoiled
- be thoroughly spoiled
- be utterly spoiled
- …
- [transitive] spoil somebody/yourself to make somebody/yourself happy by doing something special
- Why not spoil yourself with a weekend in a top hotel?
- He really spoiled me on my birthday.
- [intransitive] (of food) to become bad so that it can no longer be eaten synonym go off (6)
- [transitive] spoil something to mark a ballot paper in a way that is not correct so the vote does not count, especially as a form of protest
- The group called on its supporters to spoil their ballot papers.
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘to plunder’): shortening of Old French espoille (noun), espoillier (verb), from Latin spoliare, from spolium ‘plunder, skin stripped from an animal’, or a shortening of despoil.
Idioms
be spoiling for a fight
- to want to fight with somebody very much
spoil the ship for a ha’p’orth/ha’pennyworth of tar
- (saying) to cause something good to fail because you did not spend a small but necessary amount of money or time on a small but essential part of it
too many cooks spoil the broth
- (saying) if too many people are involved in doing something, it will not be done well