SPOIL Synonyms: 247 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'spoil' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of spoil are booty , loot , plunder , prize , and spoils . While all these words mean "something taken from another by force or craft," spoil , more commonly spoils , applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest. // the spoils of political victory

Q: When would 'booty' be a good substitute for 'spoil'?

Although the words booty and spoil have much in common, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates. // thieves dividing up their booty

Q: When is it sensible to use 'loot' instead of 'spoil'?

The words loot and spoil are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe. // picked through the ruins for loot

Q: When is 'plunder' a more appropriate choice than 'spoil'?

The synonyms plunder and spoil are sometimes interchangeable, but plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling. // a bootlegger's plunder

Q: In what contexts can 'prize' take the place of 'spoil'?

While in some cases nearly identical to spoil , prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy. // the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

spoil 1 of 2

verb

ˈspȯi(-ə)l

Definition of spoil

as in to taint

to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable too much coddling will spoil the child

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to decompose

to go through decomposition the meat has spoiled

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to damage

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of know when to stop, for an unnecessary brushstroke can spoil a painted portrait

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to indulge

to treat with great or excessive care when they were newlyweds, the wife tended to spoil her husband, but she soon got over that

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

spoil

2 of 2

noun

as in loot

valuables stolen or taken by force the bandits escaped with their lives but not with the spoils

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the noun spoil differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of spoil are booty, loot, plunder, prize, and spoils. While all these words mean "something taken from another by force or craft," spoil, more commonly spoils, applies to what belongs by right or custom to the victor in war or political contest.

the spoils of political victory

When would booty be a good substitute for spoil?

Although the words booty and spoil have much in common, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

When is it sensible to use loot instead of spoil?

The words loot and spoil are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

When is plunder a more appropriate choice than spoil?

The synonyms plunder and spoil are sometimes interchangeable, but plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

In what contexts can prize take the place of spoil?

While in some cases nearly identical to spoil, prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy.

the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spoil

Verb

Alonso is eight RBIs ahead of Alvarez for the league lead and may be the man who spoils the Houston slugger's pursuit of a Triple Crown. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026 To spoil more of the joke’s punch lines would be criminal, but rest assured her son eventually confronts her about it. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026

Noun

Along the way there were Nazis, spoils of war, and more than one accidental encounter. — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Aug. 2026 There’s also a three-spoil limit in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for spoil

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoil

Verb

Grand jury proceedings are kept confidential to allow people to testify freely without worrying about consequences and so that the subjects of an investigation are not unfairly tainted before the jury can decide whether to file charges against them.

— Jeffrey Schweers, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
The judge also rejected Smart's arguments that the verdict was tainted by media attention and by faulty jury instructions.

— CBS News, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of taint

Verb

Even worse, the process of trying to decompose those grounds can deprive your orchid of nutrients.

— Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2026
McGraw said their policy is to allow carcasses to decompose naturally, which is similar to rules followed by the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Cotter said.

— Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of decompose

Verb

The attack on Kyiv damaged more than 50 civilian sites, including apartment blocks, post offices, a maternity hospital and a textile plant, Vyhivskyi, the interior minister, said.

— HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
Tests also found that the electrical pulses used for communication did not damage tissue samples.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of damage

Verb

My daughter was enchanted by the Balinese rice-on-the-forehead ritual for good fortune that is a part of the arrival, and the front desk staff happily indulged her request to do it again—multiple times a day.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
After the event was disrupted by an armed intruder, the Administration and the association scheduled a July do-over, where Trump delivered a rambling speech indulging seemingly every tangent that sprang to mind, but his contempt remained apparent.

— Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of indulge

Noun

If the convict can help transport the loot from that camp to a safe space far from the government’s prying eyes, the warden will punch his get-outta-jail-free card.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
The expansion features six skill slots, greater enemy variety, the return of loot grinding and appraisal, and a massive new map to explore.

— Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of loot

Verb

But his more impressive follow-up LP, 2022’s River Fools & Mountain Saints, seemed to be marred by its rollout, or lack thereof.

— Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026
The episode called to mind the hot mic that marred the Toronto Raptors’ postseason news conference in April 2025.

— Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of mar

Verb

After 14 years of exploration, the Galileo spacecraft intentionally fell into Jupiter and disintegrated in the planet's dense atmosphere.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Scott’s face, in this shot, is a whole novel, disintegrating into tears before being shored up again, eventually rearranged into something resembling a welcoming smile that teeters on the edge of collapse.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of disintegrate

Verb

Since the Iran war began, there has been increasing confusion over the number of troops who have been injured and killed, unlike in many other overseas conflicts when data is reported routinely.

— Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
Some horses come in severely injured, which is no longer necessarily a death sentence.

— Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of injure

Browse Nearby Words

splutters

spoil

spoilage

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Style

“Spoil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoil. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of spoil

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noun

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