spoil

The word “spoil” means to ruin something, making it unusable, unpleasant, or less enjoyable. In plain terms, to ruin something, over-indulge someone, or (of food) go bad; as a noun, plunder taken by force.

“Spoil” is pronounced spoyl (/spɔɪl/ in IPA).

Here is “spoil” used in a sentence: “The rain spoiled our picnic plans.”

Words with a similar meaning to “spoil” include ball up, blight, bumble, botch, bugger up and contaminate.

The opposite of “spoil” — its antonyms — are aid, cultivate, foster, nurture and support.

Depending on how it is used, “spoil” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “spoil” comes from Latin. From Middle English spoilen, borrowed from Old French espoillier, from Latin spoliāre, "to strip, plunder," related to spolium, "plunder.".

“Spoil” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

"Spoil" and "ruin" both mean to damage something so it is less enjoyable or usable, but "spoil" often implies a partial or milder loss, like spoiling a surprise or a meal, while "ruin" tends to suggest total, often irreversible destruction. Food that has "spoiled" has gone bad, whereas "ruined" food might be burnt beyond recognition. The words overlap heavily and are often interchangeable in casual speech.

When applied to children, "spoil" means to indulge someone so much, especially with attention or gifts, that it damages their character or behaviour. When applied to food, "spoil" means it has gone bad and is no longer safe or pleasant to eat. Both senses share the idea of something being made worse through excess or neglect, but the contexts are quite different.

"The spoils" refers to plunder or loot taken by force, typically after a conflict or competition, as in "the spoils of war" or "to the victor go the spoils." This noun usage is unrelated to the verb meanings about ruining or indulging. It is mostly used in set phrases rather than everyday conversation.

The exact timing depends on storage temperature and the type of milk, and FreeDict does not provide food-safety guidance. In general usage, "spoil" simply means the milk has gone bad, developing an off smell or taste, at which point it should not be consumed. Checking the smell, taste, and appearance is the usual way people judge whether milk has spoiled.