spoiling 1 of 3

adjective

as in spoiled

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spoiling

2 of 3

noun

as in rotting

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spoiling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of spoil
1
as in marring
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable too much coddling will spoil the child

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2
as in decomposing
to go through decomposition the meat has spoiled

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3
as in damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of know when to stop, for an unnecessary brushstroke can spoil a painted portrait

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4
as in indulging
to treat with great or excessive care when they were newlyweds, the wife tended to spoil her husband, but she soon got over that

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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 spoiling
Noun
Food and drink Wilderness is known for serving polished but healthy modern bush fare that’s tasty and spoiling, but not overly rich. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
But there were also drawbacks, mainly a fear of accidentally spoiling certain events that occur in season six. — Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 Without spoiling the big second-act reveal, no one in this play – or in the audience – has an unchallengeable claim on the truth. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2026 In Season Two, the couple dealt with making the relationship work, which culminates in tensions between the pair — and without totally spoiling it, suffice to say that does not end so well. — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026 The Dodgers left-hander had just given up the lead on Bauers’ two-run homer, spoiling what had been a stellar start Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers ​at hundreds of French supermarkets to as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), causing fires and spoiling food. — CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2026 Without spoiling the plot, there’s a dispiriting note at the end of the film as text on-screen informs us that some very high percentage of Americans get their news from Facebook to this day. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026 Digger is, first and foremost, a parable—without spoiling the plot, its events are intentionally exaggerated to make a point about humans and climate change. — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026 Many viewers complained that attendees and news outlets that were at the Peacock Theater were spoiling the roughly two-hour show by posting live updates on social media. — Saba Hamedy, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoiling
  1. spoiled
  2. decay
  3. marring
  4. decomposing
  5. damaging
  6. indulging
  7. rotten
  8. disintegration
Adjective
  • Becoming sick from eating spoiled yogurt is uncommon, but yogurt can grow harmful microbes when left out of refrigeration or kept too long.
    — Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2026
  • When Harry boosts a USB crypto wallet from a brazen young criminal and spoiled rich kid, Dylan (Will Price), Ben has no idea what to do with it—plugging it into his circa-1995 desktop personal computer sends the machine into a tailspin.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of spoiled
Noun
  • But he was plagued by guilt over his ancestor’s role in the trials, and felt compelled to explore themes of human character, greed, and social decay through his work.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • About 1 in 5 adults ages 20 to 64 has at least one untreated cavity, and nearly all adults 65 and older have dealt with tooth decay at some point, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of decay
Verb
  • The Trib is withholding Nick’s full name to avoid marring his reputation in the eyes of future employers or others who might run a search on him.
    — Kate Payne, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The latter track takes overt inspiration from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, as Jepsen beckons her love to engage in life’s vices with her, like marring bedsheets with fruit stains and dashing nude through the garden.
    — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of marring
Verb
  • The body of 76-year-old Ronald Tyler was already decomposing by the time his daughter Terri found out where he was being stored.
    — Dave Savini, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • If soil amendment is needed, first add compost and decomposing leaves to the garden soil.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of decomposing
Verb
  • The ship dragged its anchor along the seabed for about 80 miles, damaging two telecommunications cables, according to a court statement.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Kennedy’s fringe beliefs, such as his zealous anti-vaccine views, his rejection of germ theory, and his false claim that 5G is damaging our brains and causing cancer.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of damaging
Verb
  • Shaw’s witty drawing-room debates also warn of a society indulging its whims as catastrophe approaches — a question of how to live when the world careens toward darkness.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Adults aren’t always used to indulging this kind of curiosity.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of indulging
Adjective
  • Over the last decade, local government warehouses meant to store emergency food supplies have been found empty or filled with rotten supplies, largely because of corruption.
    — JOEL WUTHNOW, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Since January 2023, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has received more than 28,000 complaints, many of which describe the foul smell as rotten, putrid and stomach-churning.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of rotten
Noun
  • When this disintegration occurs, toxic components of the muscle fibers can enter the circulatory system and kidneys, which can cause kidney damage, essentially acting as poison to the body.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Banquo doesn’t have to do or say a thing to trigger Macbeth’s disintegration.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of disintegration

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Cite this Entry

“Spoiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoiling. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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