spoil, plunder, booty, prize, loot mean something taken from another by force or craft. spoil, more commonly spoils, applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political …

(Definition of spoils from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

SPOILS definition: (sometimes singular) valuables seized by violence, esp in war See examples of spoils used in a sentence.

Spoils goods acquired by confiscation or seized by force. Examples: spoils of the city, c. 1300; of the continent, 1774; of time, 1750; of war, 1697. Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group …

It's important not to let mistakes spoil your life. If you spoil children, you give them everything they want or ask for. This is considered to have a bad effect on a child's character. Grandparents …

Government prizes won or treasures accumulated: a child's spoils brought home from a party. Mining waste material, as that which is cast up in mining, excavating, quarrying, etc.

Definition of spoil noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

When you spoil something, you destroy it or ruin its quality. If you spoil a surprise, you tell the secret you were supposed to keep. When you spoil something, you mess it up, like spoiling …

He always spoils everything. Don't spoil your appetite by snacking too much. Exposure to air will spoil the wine. I spoiled the sauce by adding too much garlic.

SPOIL definition: to damage severely or harm (something), especially with reference to its excellence, value, usefulness, etc.: Drought spoiled the corn crop. See examples of spoil used …