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6 results for: spoilt

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
spoilt    Audio Help   [spoilt] Pronunciation Key
–verb
a pt. and pp. of spoil.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
spoilt

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
spoil    Audio Help   [spoil] Pronunciation Key verb, spoiled or spoilt, spoil·ing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1.to damage severely or harm (something), esp. with reference to its excellence, value, usefulness, etc.: The water stain spoiled the painting. Drought spoiled the corn crop.
2.to diminish or impair the quality of; affect detrimentally: Bad weather spoiled their vacation.
3.to impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc.: to spoil a child by pampering him.
4.Archaic. to strip (persons, places, etc.) of goods, valuables, etc.; plunder; pillage; despoil.
5.Archaic. to take or seize by force.
–verb (used without object)
6.to become bad, or unfit for use, as food or other perishable substances; become tainted or putrid: Milk spoils if not refrigerated.
7.to plunder, pillage, or rob.
–noun
8.Often, spoils. booty, loot, or plunder taken in war or robbery.
9.the act of plundering.
10.an object of plundering.
11.Usually, spoils.
a.the emoluments and advantages of public office viewed as won by a victorious political party: the spoils of office.
b.prizes won or treasures accumulated: a child's spoils brought home from a party.
12.waste material, as that which is cast up in mining, excavating, quarrying, etc.
13.an imperfectly made object, damaged during the manufacturing process.
—Idiom
14.be spoiling for, Informal. to be very eager for; be desirous of: It was obvious that he was spoiling for a fight.
[Origin: 1300–50; (v.) ME spoilen < OF espoillier < L spoliāre to despoil, equiv. to spoli(um) booty + -āre inf. suffix; (n.) deriv. of the v. or < OF espoille, deriv. of espoillier]

—Related forms
spoil·a·ble, adjective
spoilless, adjective

—Synonyms 1. disfigure, destroy, demolish, mar. Spoil, ruin, wreck agree in meaning to reduce the value, quality, usefulness, etc., of anything. Spoil is the general term: to spoil a delicate fabric. Ruin implies doing completely destructive or irreparable injury: to ruin one's health. Wreck implies a violent breaking up or demolition: to wreck oneself with drink; to wreck a building.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
spoil    Audio Help   (spoil)  Pronunciation Key 
v.   spoiled or spoilt (spoilt), spoil·ing, spoils

v.   tr.
    1. To impair the value or quality of.
    2. To damage irreparably; ruin.
    3. To plunder; despoil.
    4. To take by force.
  2. To impair the completeness, perfection, or unity of; flaw grievously: spoiled the party.
  3. To do harm to the character, nature, or attitude of by oversolicitude, overindulgence, or excessive praise. See Synonyms at pamper.
  4. Archaic
    1. To plunder; despoil.
    2. To take by force.

v.   intr.
  1. To become unfit for use or consumption, as from decay. Used especially of perishables, such as food. See Synonyms at decay.
  2. To pillage.

n.  
  1. spoils
    1. Goods or property seized from a victim after a conflict, especially after a military victory.
    2. Incidental benefits reaped by a winner, especially political patronage enjoyed by a successful party or candidate.
  2. An object of plunder; prey.
  3. Refuse material removed from an excavation.
  4. Archaic The act of plundering; spoliation.

Phrasal Verb(s):
spoil for
To be eager for: spoiling for a fight.

[Middle English spoilen, to plunder, from Old French espoillier, from Latin spoliāre, from spolium, booty.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
spoilt    Audio Help   (spoilt)  Pronunciation Key 
v.   A past tense and a past participle of spoil.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
spoilt

adjective
1. having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or oversolicitous attention; "a spoiled child" [syn: spoiled] 
2. (of foodstuffs) not in an edible or usable condition; "bad meat"; "a refrigerator full of spoilt food" [syn: bad] 
3. affected by blight; anything that mars or prevents growth or prosperity; "a blighted rose"; "blighted urban districts" [syn: blighted] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

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