spoilverb
uk/spɔɪl/us/spɔɪl/spoiled or spoilt, spoiled or spoiltspoil verb (DESTROY)
B1 [ T ] to destroy or reduce the pleasure, interest, or beauty of something:
[ I or T ] When food spoils or is spoiled, it is no longer good enough to eat:
[ T ] UK specialized politics to mark a ballot paper so that it cannot be officially counted as a vote:
More examples
- He wasn't enjoying the occasion so he thought he'd spoil it for everyone else - it was very childish of him.
- Knowing the ending already didn't spoil my enjoyment of the film.
- The government is understandably reluctant to do anything which might spoil the harmonious relations between the country's ethnic groups.
- I won't have any chocolate, thanks. It will spoil my appetite.
- Let it rain - it won't spoil our afternoon.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Damaging and spoiling
- adulterate
- alloy
- at the expense of sb idiom
- at-risk
- bandh
- bang up sb/sth
- gild the lily idiom
- gloss
- gnaw
- gnaw away at sth
- go west idiom
- goonda
- poison
- ravages
- ruin
- scourge
- shatter
- shoot sth up
- sour
- tell on sb
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
spoil verb (TREAT WELL)
[ T ] to treat someone very or too well, especially by being extremely generous:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Treating someone well
- allowance
- be spoilt for choice idiom
- coddle
- cosset
- do as you would be done by idiom
- do sb proud idiom
- indulge
- indulgence
- kid
- make much/a lot of sb idiom
- mollycoddle
- pander to sb/sth
- proud
- respect
- see sb right idiom
- smother
- spoil sb rotten idiom
- succour
- treat
- treat sb like royalty idiom
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spoil verb (CHILD)
C1 [ T ] disapproving to allow a child to do or have everything that it wants to, usually so that it expects to get everything it wants and does not show respect to other people:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Treating someone well
- allowance
- be spoilt for choice idiom
- coddle
- cosset
- do as you would be done by idiom
- do sb proud idiom
- indulge
- indulgence
- kid
- make much/a lot of sb idiom
- mollycoddle
- pander to sb/sth
- proud
- respect
- see sb right idiom
- smother
- spoil sb rotten idiom
- succour
- treat
- treat sb like royalty idiom
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Idiom(s)
spoilnoun
uk/spɔɪl/us/spɔɪl/spoil noun (EARTH)
[ U ] earth, stones, etc. dug out from a hole in the ground:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Rubbish and waste
- debris
- detritus
- dross
- effluent
- flotsam
- froth
- jetsam
- jumble
- junk
- kitsch
- recycle
- refuse
- rubbish
- rubble
- scrap
- scrap heap
- tat
- upcycle
- upcycling
- waste product
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spoil noun (PROFITS)
goods, advantages, profits, etc. that you get by your actions or because of your position or situation:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Prizes, rewards and medals
- Academy Award
- award
- blue ribbon
- booby prize
- bronze
- bronze medal
- colour
- gong
- Grammy
- honor
- honorable
- honour
- honourable mention
- Pulitzer Prize
- Purple Heart
- quid pro quo
- reward
- ribbon
- stake
- VC
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