SPOILS Synonyms: 248 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Some common synonyms of spoils are booty , loot , plunder , prize , and spoil . 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 can 'booty' be used instead of 'spoils'?

In some situations, the words booty and spoils are roughly equivalent. However, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates. // thieves dividing up their booty

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

While the synonyms loot and spoils are close in meaning, loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe. // picked through the ruins for loot

Q: In what contexts can 'plunder' take the place of 'spoils'?

Although the words plunder and spoils have much in common, plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling. // a bootlegger's plunder

Q: When might 'prize' be a better fit than 'spoils'?

The meanings of prize and spoils largely overlap; however, prize applies to spoils captured on the high seas or territorial waters of the enemy. // the wartime right of seizing prizes at sea

spoils 1 of 2

noun

plural of spoil

as in loots

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

spoils

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of spoil

as in taints

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in decomposes

to go through decomposition the meat has spoiled

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in damages

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 indulges

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun spoils differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of spoils are booty, loot, plunder, prize, and spoil. 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 can booty be used instead of spoils?

In some situations, the words booty and spoils are roughly equivalent. However, booty implies plunder to be shared among confederates.

thieves dividing up their booty

When is it sensible to use loot instead of spoils?

While the synonyms loot and spoils are close in meaning, loot applies especially to what is taken from victims of a catastrophe.

picked through the ruins for loot

In what contexts can plunder take the place of spoils?

Although the words plunder and spoils have much in common, plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.

a bootlegger's plunder

When might prize be a better fit than spoils?

The meanings of prize and spoils largely overlap; however, 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 spoils

Noun

Belgium came from behind to draw 1-1 against Egypt, while Iran did so twice to share the spoils with New Zealand. —

Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 June 2026 Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. —

Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 17 June 2026 Although Blatter himself was not charged in the investigation, his regime collapsed under the weight of hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes for TV rights and other spoils, and he was soon banned from international football for ethical breaches. —

Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026 For chronic house flippers Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, the spoils of Hollywood have long been rivaled by the riches of real estate. —

Ashley Baker, Air Mail, 6 June 2026 Kendrick won, for sure—to the victor go the spoils. —

Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 18 May 2026 To the victors go the spoils, or in this case, to the victors go the closers (current and former), the slugger and the skipper. —

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 17 May 2026 That means oddsmakers surrendered an undisclosed portion of their parlay spoils to the exchange. —

Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 13 May 2026 And while his parents and friends encourage him to enjoy the spoils of his status, Pulisic parties like a monk. —

Sean Gregory, Time, 7 May 2026

Verb

Even worse, some streams lag so far behind live that a text from a friend or app notification spoils a game-changing goal. —

Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 12 June 2026 Alphabet, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI and the sundry other rivals for the AI spoils can’t all grab a couple of points of GDP in sales, the prize built into SpaceX’s celestial cap. —

Shawn Tully, Fortune, 6 June 2026 Telling more than that spoils what happens. —

Randy Myers, Mercury News, 28 May 2026 Pre-cut produce also spoils quicker and could pick up pathogens when sliced open. —

Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 23 May 2026 This post spoils the entirety of the first season of The Boroughs now on Netflix. —

Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 May 2026 Although their relationship begins as a love story, the book brings home the profits of Jacob’s earlier brutality—fate catches up to him, and everything that is love and passion sort of spoils into wrath and obsession. —

The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 May 2026 Naturally, trouble spoils the crew’s relaxation in the form of an ocean princess named Yura (Allegra Clark; Saoiri Onishi) on the run from baddies Zodon (Christopher Corey Smith; Koichi Domoto) and Djeese (Yuri Lowenthal; Koji Yusa). —

Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 1 May 2026 Their hollow centers can trap leftover food, which quickly spoils and attracts bacteria. —

Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoils

Noun

Small piles of dirt, work going on at night and no permission signs for authorized excavations tipped off officials, according to a spokesperson for the Carabinieri Art Police, a specialized unit dedicated to stopping the theft of Italy’s vast historical treasures.

— Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 19 June 2026
America is turning 250, but not all of its greatest treasures sit behind museum glass.

— Staff, USA Today, 18 June 2026

Definition of treasures

Verb

The research team enabled a room-temperature, four-electron chemical reaction path that forms and decomposes lithium oxide, which expands available energy storage.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026
Organic material trapped in reservoirs accumulates and decomposes over time, releasing methane — a potent greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming, Fernández-Garrido told CNN.

— Radina Gigova, CNN Money, 27 May 2026

Definition of decomposes

Verb

Dana Sue and Ronnie's strained relationship is exasperated by a fire that breaks out — accelerated by off-brand e-bikes Ronnie bought behind Dana Sue’s back and stored in their garage — and damages their house.

— Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
Roslovic’s poor playoff showing severely damages his chances of earning an extension with the Oilers for next season and of a sizable deal elsewhere.

— Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 10 June 2026

Definition of damages

Verb

Parents used to tell their children that television rots the brain; now it’s considered a medium for legitimate art.

— New York Times, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Training plants to stay off the ground instead of trailing prevents many common fungal diseases, fruit spots, and rots.

— Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 May 2026

Definition of rots

Verb

Who is responsible when a robot breaks something or injures someone?

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
This storyline later appeared in the second season of Girls, as Dunham’s character Hannah is overwhelmed with the anxiety of writing a novel and similarly injures herself.

— Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026