spɔ:ɪl v. & n. --v. (past
and past part.
spoilt or spoiled) 1 tr. a
damage;
diminish the value of (was spoilt by the
rain; will spoil
all the fun). b
reduce a person's enjoyment etc. of (the
news spoiled
his dinner). 2 tr.
injure the
character of (esp. a
child, pet, etc.) by
excessive indulgence. 3 intr. a (of food) go
bad,
decay;
become unfit for eating. b (usu. in neg.) (of a
joke,
secret, etc.) become stale
through long
keeping. 4 tr.
render (a
ballot paper) invalid by
improper marking. 5 tr. (foll. by of)
archaic or
literary plunder or
deprive (a
person of a thing) by force or
stealth (spoiled
him of all his possessions). --n. 1 (usu. in pl.) a plunder taken
from an
enemy in
war, or seized by force. b
esp. joc.
profit or advantages gained by succeeding to
public office,
high position, etc. 2
earth etc. thrown up in excavating, dredging, etc. øbe spoiling for aggressively
seek (a
fight etc.). spoils
system US the
practice of giving public office to the adherents of a
successful party. spoilt for
choice having so
many choices
that it is
difficult to
choose. [ME f. OF espoillier, espoille f. L spoliare f. spolium spoil, plunder, or f. DESPOIL]
