How to Use spoil in a Sentence

spoil

1 of 2 verb
  • The fight spoiled the party.
  • You should spoil yourself with a day at the spa.
  • I spoiled the sauce by adding too much garlic.
  • The milk was beginning to spoil.
  • Exposure to air will spoil the wine.
  • The camping trip was spoiled by bad weather.
  • Don't let one mistake spoil your day.
  • She always spoils me on my birthday.
  • Don't spoil your appetite by snacking too much.
  • The hotel spoils their guests with fine dining and excellent service.
  • To think too deeply about the crime would spoil the fun.
    Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2022
  • The slums were far enough in the distance not to spoil the view.
    Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2021
  • Too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the meal at the moment.
    Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 2 Apr. 2022
  • But Buxton and the Twins found a way to spoil the return.
    Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2022
  • Not to spoil anything, but the ending of your movie veers from the ending of the book.
    Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2022
  • The damage, in a sense, might linger and spoil the barrel all told.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2023
  • This all assumes, of course, that the Aztecs don’t spoil the party.
    Michael Lev, The Arizona Republic, 11 Sep. 2021
  • That would spoil things for those who haven’t seen either movie.
    Gene Seymour, CNN, 25 Sep. 2022
  • So why not spoil them and include them in the holiday fun?
    Kaylee Remington, cleveland, 7 Dec. 2022
  • Chewy is for the pet owner who can’t seem spoil their furry friend enough.
    Josie Howell | Jhowell@al.com, al, 8 Dec. 2022
  • Not to spoil things, but that’s not exactly what plays out.
    Pat Padua, Washington Post, 13 July 2022
  • What was your favorite scene to film that won’t spoil anything?
    Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 13 May 2022
  • The Ravens want nothing more than to upset the Bengals and spoil their season.
    The Enquirer, 12 Jan. 2023
  • But beyond the adorable accessories, the best dog beds are the real way to spoil your fluff ball.
    Andrea Navarro, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2022
  • Too many cooks spoil the broth, and two’s company, but three’s a crowd.
    Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2021
  • On this opening night, there would be no plot twist to spoil the story.
    Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2022
  • Storms may spoil Easter weekend plans in North Texas.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Alvarez spoiled both, then took a fastball over the outer half and turned to trudge back to his dugout.
    Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Catcher Drake Baldwin hit a solo homer off John Schreiber to spoil the shutout.
    Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2026
  • The nightmarish sequence spoiled a night that began with the Angels showing more promising signs at the plate.
    Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026

spoil

2 of 2 noun
  • What may change is the venue where heirs fight over the spoils.
    Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Aug. 2019
  • To the most connected went the spoils and the wins at the ballot box.
    Marcos Breton, sacbee, 18 Mar. 2018
  • Emery has won just one of those, with the pair sharing the spoils four times.
    SI.com, 15 Sep. 2019
  • These are the spoils of Martin’s life and of his second chance.
    Bill Reiter, kansascity, 2 Mar. 2018
  • The true-crime tale of a genius art thief who kept all the spoils for himself.
    The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
  • On TikTok, those who braved the line, which snaked around the block twice, showed off their spoils.
    Tara Gonzalez, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 May 2023
  • The dogs have already gathered to taste the spoils of my failure.
    Tonilyn Hornung, Good Housekeeping, 16 Dec. 2019
  • There may well be some sort of reward at the end of the tunnel, so enjoy the spoils.
    Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2024
  • Many of the spoils come from Eastern Europe, and tend to run toward the heavy: beer, schnitzel, sausages.
    Natasha Frost, Quartzy, 6 July 2019
  • But for now, the Pelicans should enjoy this moment and the spoils that come with it.
    William Guillory, NOLA.com, 26 May 2018
  • Another horse in the race for the spoils of legal gambling?
    Andy Rosen, BostonGlobe.com, 16 May 2018
  • Yes, but living together in the spoil now called New York is not a good choice.
    WSJ, 2 June 2021
  • But the spoils from Atlanta brought in far more revenue than anything that was spent.
    Shannon Green, OrlandoSentinel.com, 21 Feb. 2018
  • But now the ultimate spoils of that journey are just two wins away.
    Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2023
  • These aren't always the easiest flowers to grow and keep disease-free, but to the victor go the spoils.
    Erynn Hassinger, Country Living, 22 Apr. 2023
  • Early fairs showcased the spoils of empire; later fairs, the newest space tech, as the West raced Russia to the moon.
    Cassie Werber, Quartz, 2 May 2023
  • That leaves the spoils largely to retail investors—one reason why cannabis stocks are so volatile.
    Carol Ryan, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019
  • But in the past few decades, more and more of the economy’s spoils have flowed to the already wealthy, leaving less for everyone else.
    Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2020
  • Of a sketchy partnership with a bail bondsman to break into cars and then steal and sell the spoils, which were often drugs.
    Cristian Farias, New Republic, 20 Feb. 2018
  • For those of you who are yet to finish Netflix's Sweet Magnolias, be aware of the spoil alert within.
    Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, 16 June 2020
  • But rather than get quietly back to work after this election, the brothers-in-arms fought over the spoils.
    The Economist, 29 Nov. 2019
  • When those machines were turned on, all would (in theory) enjoy the spoils.
    Gregory Barber, Wired, 10 Dec. 2019
  • Most victors get to keep their spoils—but there’s only one Stanley Cup.
    Stephen Krupin, SI.com, 11 June 2018
  • Substitute Lucas Moura equalised once again for Spurs with his first touch, but the drama took over at the end and ensured a share of the spoils.
    SI.com, 17 Aug. 2019
  • And while Rob and Fab (briefly) enjoyed the high life and the spoils of fame, Korem says that the price of not singing on the records was higher than either man imagined.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2023
  • Such is the suffering of the lowly expendables, but spoils of war for the oligarchy of greed and power.
    Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Boosters, for those not acquainted with the word, are shoplifters who resell their spoils at a discount.
    Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Picking a souvenir in Sanibel is as simple as squatting down in the sand and surveying the spoils.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
  • The rest of the field looks to flip scripts and spoil narratives.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • To the victor go the spoils, the adage tells us.
    Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spoil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: