Spoil

Quick meaning: Spoil is a verb meaning (transitive, archaic) To strip (someone who has been killed or defeated) of arms or armour.

Meaning

(transitive, archaic) To strip (someone who has been killed or defeated) of arms or armour.

More Meanings

1. (transitive, archaic) To strip or deprive (someone) of possessions; to rob, despoil.
2. (ambitransitive, archaic) To plunder, pillage (a city, country etc.).
3. (transitive, obsolete) To carry off (goods) by force; to steal.
4. (transitive) To ruin; to damage in such a way as to make undesirable or unusable.
5. (transitive) To ruin the character of, by overindulgence; to coddle or pamper to excess.
6. (intransitive, of food or drink) To go bad; to become sour or rancid; to decay.
7. (transitive) To render (a ballot) invalid by deliberately defacing.

Example Sentences

Outlaws, which, lurking in woods, used to break forth to rob and spoil.

No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man.

All that herde hym wer amased and sayde: ys nott this he that spoylled them whych called on this name in Jerusalem?

To do her dye (quoth Vna) were despight, / And shame t'auenge so weake an enimy; / But spoile her of her scarlot robe, and let her fly.

Word Forms

• spoils
• spoiling
• spoiled
• spoilt

Synonyms for spoil

Depending on context, synonyms include damage, destroy, sully, ruin, coddle, pamper.

Antonyms for spoil

Common opposites include aid, cultivate, foster, nurture, support, sustain.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include despoliation, despoilment, spoliation, screw up, thwart, vitiate.

Related Dictionary Tools