1
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
too much coddling will spoil the child
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to decompose
to go through decomposition
the meat has spoiled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
know when to stop, for an unnecessary brushstroke can spoil a painted portrait
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to indulge
to treat with great or excessive care
when they were newlyweds, the wife tended to spoil her husband, but she soon got over that
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spoil
cleveland, 17 Dec. 2022
So, who exactly could spoil the Astros' pursuit of a third Commissioner's Trophy?
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 12 Dec. 2022
Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Whoa, bellows the retort, to the victor go the spoils.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spoil
Verb
However, Cleveland can still spoil a potential playoff run for Washington.
—cleveland, 17 Dec. 2022
So, who exactly could spoil the Astros' pursuit of a third Commissioner's Trophy?
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 12 Dec. 2022
Noun
States were able to build more prosperous economies without fearing that a greater military power would conquer them or force them into unequal treaties to fork over the spoils.
—Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Whoa, bellows the retort, to the victor go the spoils.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spoil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoil
Verb
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Zelensky, claims that these crackdowns are needed because anti-corruption investigations were tainted by Russian influence and were doing Putin’s bidding.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
24 July 2025
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King’s family objected to the release, saying the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s surveillance of the progressive leader was tainted by the agency’s political bent at the time.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
21 July 2025
Verb
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What then starts is a roughly 30-day process where the body naturally decomposes and becomes nutrient-rich dirt.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
16 July 2025
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An American man who vanished weeks ago in Turks and Caicos is still presumed missing, despite the fact that a decomposing male body was found in the island paradise 10 days ago.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
16 July 2025
Verb
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Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
14 July 2025
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Anything that damages the trust between the vendor, Microsoft, and the user is as much a threat as the hackers themselves, in my never humble opinion.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Take just five minutes out of the day to indulge yourself in a self-care exercise.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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One of the rare recent TV exercises not to indulge conspiracy-theory tropes but deconstruct and criticize them was Netflix’s winter limited series Zero Day, in which the British actor Dan Stevens played a villainous YouTuber peddling such theories.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
19 July 2025
Noun
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With no quests, all players had to do was level up and collect loot, which some felt was not enough incentive to play.—
Mike Stubbs,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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Depending on your country, these could be considered loot boxes, which are banned in Belgium and the Netherlands.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Sure, the game was marred by former commissioner Bud Selig declaring the 2002 edition a tie.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Chelsea's 3-0 FIFA Club World Cup victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, with President Donald Trump in attendance, was marred by a postgame brawl.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
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After that group disintegrated, the pair linked up with the guitarist and drummer of another band, Mythology — Iommi and Bill Ward — in late 1968 and formed a sextet called the Polka Tulk Blues Band.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
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Substantial, but not so much so that the bun will disintegrate from rivers of juice.—
Li Goldstein,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Shooting comes 3 years after another incident The July 25 shooting comes less than three years after another fatal attack at a University of New Mexico housing building left one student dead and three campus visitors injured.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
25 July 2025
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Newcastle insist Isak is injured and that a long-haul flight would not aid his recovery, but the rumour mill will only go into overdrive.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spoil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoil. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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