(be) spoiling for
idiom
: to have a strong desire for (something, such as a fight)
They are spoiling for an argument.
The team is spoiling for a rematch.
Examples of (be) spoiling for in a Sentence
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Mass incarceration, which swept the country in the late twentieth century, rested on the assumption that a person spoiling for a fight with another person was weighing costs: that the difference between ten years and twenty-five would matter.
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Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Many in the party were spoiling for a shutdown fight and feel that Schumer sold them out.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 17 Mar. 2025
It’s never been more clear that the Democratic Party—both activist and rank-and-file wings alike—is spoiling for a fight.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
But the Administration is clearly spoiling for a fight.
—Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for (be) spoiling for
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Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Many in the party were spoiling for a shutdown fight and feel that Schumer sold them out.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 17 Mar. 2025
It’s never been more clear that the Democratic Party—both activist and rank-and-file wings alike—is spoiling for a fight.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
But the Administration is clearly spoiling for a fight.
—Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for (be) spoiling for
Cite this Entry
“(be) spoiling for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/%28be%29%20spoiling%20for. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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