spoil
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: spoils · spoiling · spoiled
Sense 1
To ruin; to damage in such a way as to make undesirable or unusable.
Verb
Examples
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
To ruin the character of, by overindulgence; to coddle or pamper to excess.
làm hỏng tính cách bằng sự nuông chiều quá mức
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Verb
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 3
Plunder taken from an enemy or victim.
Noun
Examples
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Sense 4
Material (such as rock or earth) removed in the course of an excavation, or in mining or dredging. Tailings. Such material could be utilised somewhere else.
Vật liệu như đá hoặc đất được loại bỏ trong quá trình khai thác
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Noun
Examples
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “spoil” mean?
To ruin; to damage in such a way as to make undesirable or unusable.
Is “spoil” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.