:
something valuable or desirable gained through special effort or opportunism or in return for a favor
—
usually used in plural
Dodge won't
spoil
the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.
—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver
, 13 Feb. 2023
If it is not held at a safe temperature, the food may
spoil
or become contaminated with bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses.
—
Abay Yimere,
The Conversation
, 19 Jan. 2023
And some new variant evolving from the Chinese outbreak could
spoil
2023 for everyone else.
—
David Axe,
Rolling Stone
, 8 Jan. 2023
Not to
spoil
all the movie magic, but to capture what was needed for M3GAN’s performance, the filmmakers relied on a real robotic prototype in some scenes while others featured a young actress, Amie Donald, in a mask and gloves.
—
Chris Gardner,
The Hollywood Reporter
, 8 Dec. 2022
As for where things go after that kiss, Kasdan won't
spoil
anything, except to promise more is coming in ways that are impossible to miss.
—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com
, 1 Dec. 2022
Eat, Drink, and Shop Travelers do not live on adventure alone, and the gateway towns and environs of Great Smoky Mountains National Park are full of
spoils
.
—
Tracey Minkin,
Southern Living
, 12 July 2023
Since 1880, the curiosity has been a popular attraction in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, among other
spoils
of war seized from the imperial courts of south India.
—
Heller McAlpin,
The Christian Science Monitor
, 13 June 2023
Early fairs showcased the
spoils
of empire; later fairs, the newest space tech, as the West raced Russia to the moon.
—
Cassie Werber,
Quartz
, 2 May 2023
Strategically, Wagner operated to further Russia’s geopolitical goals; tactically, the group was free to pursue its own
spoils
, including lucrative petroleum contracts that entities associated with Prigozhin received from the Assad government.
—
Joshua Yaffa,
The New Yorker
, 31 July 2023
Back in the warmth at Raw’s offices, a four-minute sizzle reel was painstakingly put together, one covering the Hoffmans’ backstory, the mining efforts and, once gold had been found, the all-important drama that would erupt over how to share the
spoils
.
—
Alex Ritman,
The Hollywood Reporter
, 12 May 2023
These aren't always the easiest flowers to grow and keep disease-free, but to the victor go the
spoils
.
—
Erynn Hassinger,
Country Living
, 22 Apr. 2023
These GANs generate password guesses after autonomously learning the distribution of passwords by processing the
spoils
of previous real-world breaches.
—
Dan Goodin,
Ars Technica
, 12 Apr. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spoil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Middle English, from Anglo-French
espuiller, espoiller
, from Latin
spoliare
to strip of natural covering, despoil, from
spolium
skin, hide — more at
spill
entry
1
Middle English
spoile
, from Anglo-French
espuille
, from
espuiller
14th century, in the meaning defined at
transitive sense 3b
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at
sense 1a
The first known use of
spoil
was
in the 14th century
See more words from the same century
“Spoil.”
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary
, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spoil. Accessed 26 Aug. 2023.
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