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Noun: spoiling  spoy(-u)-ling
  1. The process of becoming spoiled
    - spoilage
     
  2. The act of spoiling something by causing damage to it
    "her spoiling my dress was deliberate";
    - spoil, spoilage
Verb: spoil (spoilt, also spoiled)  spoy(-u)l
  1. Make a mess of, destroy or ruin
    "I spoilt the dinner and we had to eat out";
    - botch, bodge [Brit, informal], bumble, fumble, botch up, muff [informal], blow, flub [N. Amer, informal], screw up [informal], muck up [informal], bungle, fluff [informal], bobble [N. Amer], mishandle, louse up [informal], foul up, mess up, butcher, goof up [informal], cock up [Brit, informal], balls up [informal], make a hash of [informal]
     
  2. Become unfit for consumption or use
    "the meat must be eaten before it spoils";
    - go bad
     
  3. Alter from the original to become worse or broken
    - corrupt
     
  4. Treat with excessive indulgence
    "grandparents often spoil the children";
    - pamper, featherbed, cosset, cocker [rare], baby, coddle, mollycoddle, indulge, nanny [informal]
     
  5. Hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
    "spoil your opponent";
    - thwart, queer [informal], scotch, foil, cross, frustrate, baffle, bilk [informal], scupper [informal]
     
  6. Have a strong desire or urge to do something
    "He is spoiling for a fight";
    - itch [informal]
     
  7. Destroy and strip of its possession
    "The soldiers spoilt the beautiful country";
    - rape, despoil, violate, plunder
     
  8. Make imperfect
    "nothing spoilt her beauty";
    - mar, impair, deflower, vitiate, pollute

Derived forms: spoilings

Type of: damage, decay, desire, destroy, do by, fail, forbid, foreclose, forestall, go wrong, handle, injury, miscarry, modify, preclude, prevent, ruin, treat, want

Encyclopedia: Spoiling

Spoil