Get Affordable VMs - excellent virtual server hosting


browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

spoilmore about spoil

spoil


  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spoil  \Spoil\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Spoiled}or  {Spoilt};  p.  pr 
  &  vb  n.  {Spoiling}.]  [F.  spolier,  OF  espoilelier  fr  L. 
  spoliare,  fr  spolium  spoil.  Cf  {Despoil},  {Spoliation}.] 
  1.  To  plunder;  to  strip  by  violence;  to  pillage;  to  rob;  -- 
  with  of  before  the  name  of  the  thing  taken  as  to  spoil 
  one  of  his  goods  or  possession.  ``Ye  shall  spoil  the 
  Egyptians.''  --Ex.  iii.  22. 
 
  My  sons  their  old  unhappy  sire  despise,  Spoiled  of 
  his  kingdom,  and  deprived  of  eues.  --Pope. 
 
  2.  To  seize  by  violence;;  to  take  by  force;  to  plunder. 
 
  No  man  can  enter  into  a  strong  man's  house,  and 
  spoil  his  goods,  except  he  will  first  bind  the 
  strong  man.  --Mark  iii. 
  27. 
 
  3.  To  cause  to  decay  and  perish;  to  corrput;  to  vitiate;  to 
  mar. 
 
  Spiritual  pride  spoils  many  graces.  --Jer.  Taylor. 
 
  4.  To  render  useless  by  injury;  to  injure  fatally;  to  ruin; 
  to  destroy;  as  to  spoil  paper;  to  have  the  crops  spoiled 
  by  insects;  to  spoil  the  eyes  by  reading. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spoil  \Spoil\,  v.  i. 
  1.  To  practice  plunder  or  robbery. 
 
  Outlaws,  which  lurking  in  woods,  used  to  break 
  forth  to  rob  and  spoil.  --Spenser. 
 
  2.  To  lose  the  valuable  qualities;  to  be  corrupted;  to  decay; 
  as  fruit  will  soon  spoil  in  warm  weather. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Spoil  \Spoil\,  n.  [Cf.  OF  espoille  L.  spolium.] 
  1.  That  which  is  taken  from  another  by  violence;  especially, 
  the  plunder  taken  from  an  enemy;  pillage;  booty. 
 
  Gentle  gales,  Fanning  their  odoriferous  wings, 
  dispense  Native  perfumes,  and  whisper  whence  they 
  stole  Those  balmy  spoils.  --Milton. 
 
  2.  Public  offices  and  their  emoluments  regarded  as  the 
  peculiar  property  of  a  successful  party  or  faction,  to  be 
  bestowed  for  its  own  advantage;  --  commonly  in  the  plural; 
  as  to  the  victor  belong  the  spoils. 
 
  From  a  principle  of  gratitude  I  adhered  to  the 
  coalition;  my  vote  was  counted  in  the  day  of  battle, 
  but  I  was  overlooked  in  the  division  of  the  spoil. 
  --Gibbon. 
 
  3.  That  which  is  gained  by  strength  or  effort. 
 
  each  science  and  each  art  his  spoil.  --Bentley. 
 
  4.  The  act  or  practice  of  plundering;  robbery;  aste. 
 
  The  man  that  hath  no  music  in  himself,  Nor  is  not 
  moved  with  concord  of  sweet  sounds,  Is  fit  for 
  treason,  stratagems,  and  spoil.  --Shak. 
 
  5.  Corruption;  cause  of  corruption.  [Archaic] 
 
  Villainous  company  hath  been  the  spoil  of  me 
  --Shak. 
 
  6.  The  slough,  or  cast  skin,  of  a  serpent  or  other  animal. 
  [Obs.]  --Bacon. 
 
  {Spoil  bank},  a  bank  formed  by  the  earth  taken  from  an 
  excavation,  as  of  a  canal. 
 
  {The  spoils  system},  the  theory  or  practice  of  regarding 
  public  and  their  emoluments  as  so  much  plunder  to  be 
  distributed  among  their  active  partisans  by  those  who  are 
  chosen  to  responsible  offices  of  administration. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  spoil 
  n  1:  (usually  plural)  valuables  taken  by  violence  (especially  in 
  war);  "to  the  victor  belong  the  spoils  of  the  enemy" 
  2:  the  act  of  spoiling  [syn:  {spoiling},  {spoilage}] 
  3:  the  act  of  stripping  and  taking  by  force  [syn:  {spoliation}, 
  {spoilation},  {despoliation},  {despoilment}] 
  v  1:  make  a  mess  of  destroy  or  ruin  [syn:  {botch},  {fumble},  {botch 
  up},  {muff},  {blow},  {flub},  {screw  up},  {ball  up},  {blunder}, 
  {muck  up},  {bungle},  {fluff},  {bollix},  {bollix  up},  {bollocks}, 
  {bollocks  up},  {bobble},  {mishandle},  {louse  up},  {foul 
  up},  {mess  up},  {fuck  up}] 
  2:  become  unfit  for  consumption  or  use  "the  meatt  must  be 
  eaten  before  it  spoils"  [syn:  {go  bad}] 
  3:  alter  from  the  original  [syn:  {corrupt}] 
  4:  treat  with  excessive  indulgence;  "grandparents  often  pamper 
  the  children";  "Let's  not  mollycoddle  our  students!"  [syn: 
  {pamper},  {featherbed},  {cosset},  {cocker},  {baby},  {coddle}, 
  {mollycoddle},  {indulge}] 
  5:  to  hinder  or  prevent  (the  efforts,  plans,  or  desires)  of: 
  "What  ultimately  frustrated  every  challenger  was  Ruth's 
  amazing  September  surge."  [syn:  {thwart},  {queer},  {scotch}, 
  {foil},  {cross},  {frustrate},  {baffle},  {bilk}] 
  6:  hinder  or  prevent  (the  efforts,  plans,  or  desires)  of 
  thwart  [syn:  {frustrate},  {thwart}] 
  7:  make  imperfect;  "nothing  marred  her  beauty"  [syn:  {mar},  {impair}, 
  {deflower},  {vitiate}] 




more about spoil