as in reveals
to make known (as information previously kept secret)
the actor's butler spilled the secret to a tabloid for $40,000
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Recent Examples of spills
ABC News, 3 May 2026
Heightened federal immigration enforcement also has affected enrollment and attendance while creating anxiety that spills over into the classroom.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
On the eastern edge of the state, Sioux Falls is best known for Falls Park, where the Big Sioux River spills over wide stretches of pink quartzite rock.
—Midwest Living, 30 Apr. 2026
Trump has relished in portraying himself as the president who spills the secrets.
—Collin Binkley, Fortune, 30 Apr. 2026
Horsetail Falls Further up the gorge, Horsetail Falls spills 176 feet down a sheer rock face.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
The most dramatic thing that happens is that someone spills some tea.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
The Financial Times stepped inside the home of Rirkrit Tiravanija on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, where lush greenery spills through expansive windows and creeps into the interior itself.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
So when Irene returns, Billie deliberately spills something to make her exit.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 1 May 2026
Kim advises to clean frequently and quickly after any spills to prevent them from becoming stubborn or burnt-on in the first place.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 1 May 2026
Kitchens are the most common area for ant invasions, as they are attracted to crumbs, spills, and moisture.
—Charlotte Maracina, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Haidacher agrees, recommending that homeowners keep food sealed (including pet food), clean up crumbs and spills, and ensure trash with food waste is sealed and managed properly.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 30 Apr. 2026
Make sure to check on it every hour or so to ensure there are no spills and that there is plenty of water in the container.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Apr. 2026
The student center features comfortable leather furniture – easier to clean up spills – arranged in groupings so students could chat with each other, perhaps study together, perhaps even just take a nap.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
These are also machine washable, meaning despite coffee spills and the general wear and tear of a fitful sleeper, these can be properly cleaned in the wash.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 26 Apr. 2026
The compact vacuum converts into a handheld device for daily messes and spills above the floor.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
Trump has relished in portraying himself as the president who spills the secrets.
—ABC News, 3 May 2026
Heightened federal immigration enforcement also has affected enrollment and attendance while creating anxiety that spills over into the classroom.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
On the eastern edge of the state, Sioux Falls is best known for Falls Park, where the Big Sioux River spills over wide stretches of pink quartzite rock.
—Midwest Living, 30 Apr. 2026
Trump has relished in portraying himself as the president who spills the secrets.
—Collin Binkley, Fortune, 30 Apr. 2026
Horsetail Falls Further up the gorge, Horsetail Falls spills 176 feet down a sheer rock face.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
The most dramatic thing that happens is that someone spills some tea.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
The Financial Times stepped inside the home of Rirkrit Tiravanija on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, where lush greenery spills through expansive windows and creeps into the interior itself.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
So when Irene returns, Billie deliberately spills something to make her exit.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
The musician cheekily denied being in the photo, but for some reason, the meme has kept gaining momentum—with Derulo continuing to take faux spills at basically any awards show imaginable.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 1 May 2026
Kim advises to clean frequently and quickly after any spills to prevent them from becoming stubborn or burnt-on in the first place.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 1 May 2026
Kitchens are the most common area for ant invasions, as they are attracted to crumbs, spills, and moisture.
—Charlotte Maracina, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Haidacher agrees, recommending that homeowners keep food sealed (including pet food), clean up crumbs and spills, and ensure trash with food waste is sealed and managed properly.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 30 Apr. 2026
Make sure to check on it every hour or so to ensure there are no spills and that there is plenty of water in the container.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Apr. 2026
The student center features comfortable leather furniture – easier to clean up spills – arranged in groupings so students could chat with each other, perhaps study together, perhaps even just take a nap.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
These are also machine washable, meaning despite coffee spills and the general wear and tear of a fitful sleeper, these can be properly cleaned in the wash.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 26 Apr. 2026
The compact vacuum converts into a handheld device for daily messes and spills above the floor.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spills
Verb
-
Step inside and the renovation reveals itself.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
-
But this twisting, agitated record sometimes reveals a softer side.—
Alastair Shuttleworth,
Pitchfork,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
This is the Land of Waterfalls, home to more than 250 falls, including the majestic Triple Falls, which played a starring role in The Hunger Games.—
Belinda Luksic,
Southern Living,
1 May 2026
-
Preventing head injury − including wearing a helmet for biking and sports, wearing a seatbelt and preventing falls − can keep your brain healthier in the long-run, the organization notes.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Attorneys for Meta said the company discloses risks and makes efforts to weed out harmful content and experiences, while acknowledging that some bad material gets through its safety net.—
Morgan Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Attorneys for Meta said the company discloses risks and makes efforts to weed out harmful content and experiences, while acknowledging that some bad material gets through its safety net.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After some stumbles with AI in 2024, Apple has been largely sitting on the sidelines of the AI race.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The stumbles seen on race day were largely engineering hiccups—hardware tuning, stability margins—not fundamental limits of AI.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Zion Phelps story is going to be told over and over at Loyola High to show students what can happen when someone discovers potential and decides to take a chance to bring it out.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
But as the decades pass, Mercy discovers an especially bitter spirit who is wreaking violent revenge upon the living—and when the spirit claims to know something of her past, Mercy must decide if her loyalties are to the living or the dead.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
After a number of tumbles through the incoming crashing waves, Phan grabbed ahold of the shark's tail and fearlessly guided it back into the ocean, prompting cheers from onlookers.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Beneath the twists and tumbles of its plot, Reddick’s play is concerned with the people and communities that never profit when power seeks to increase itself — children, poor folks, Black folks.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If a guy whose brother is engaged to Taylor Swift can pick a barbecue spot blind and land on a Charlotte favorite, that tells you something.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Parker tells me, grinning in his studio just outside of Los Angeles, in Altadena, in early April.—
Grayson Haver Currin,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Packed neatly in the case, Alba uncovers hundreds of notebooks that recount Clara’s life over half a century, and offers her the missing puzzle pieces to her own fractured and confusing origin story.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
However, upon arriving at the Crawford home, Lowen uncovers a secret manuscript that reveals unsettling details about the family's past, leading her to question whether Verity's writings are fiction or a chilling confession from a deranged mind.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spills. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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