Synonyms of spoils

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

• loots
• plunders
• treasures
• prizes
• pillages
• swags
• booties
• windfalls
• hauls
• takes
• catches
• pilferages

spoils

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of spoil

1

as in taints

to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable

too much coddling will spoil the child

Synonyms & Similar Words

• taints
• poisons
• mars
• stains
• darkens
• touches
• tarnishes
• vitiates
• degrades
• distorts
• corrupts
• discredits
• lowers
• pollutes
• smears
• blemishes
• sullies
• blackens
• blurs
• dirties
• disgraces
• soils
• shames
• discolors
• dishonors
• tars
• clouds
• smudges
• perverts
• cheapens
• debases
• demeans
• besmirches
• debauches
• subverts
• sinks
• besmears
• abases
• demoralizes
• colors
• smirches
• twists
• smuts
• depraves
• begrimes
• bastardizes
• fouls

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• purifies
• cleanses
• elevates
• magnifies
• glorifies
• uplifts
• ennobles
• enshrines
• dignifies
• hallows

2

as in decomposes

to go through decomposition

the meat has spoiled

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decomposes
• rots
• disintegrates
• decays
• corrupts
• perishes
• festers
• falls apart
• deteriorates
• molds
• descends
• putrefies
• breaks down
• crumbles
• sours
• turns
• contaminates
• fouls
• taints
• pollutes
• goes to seed
• molders
• rusts
• ferments
• defiles
• mortifies
• degenerates
• curdles
• turns off
• sinks
• declines
• addles
• withers
• dilapidates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ages
• grows
• develops
• ripens
• matures
• restores
• refreshes
• renews
• improves
• purifies
• cleanses
• integrates
• assembles
• composes
• ameliorates
• betters
• meliorates

3

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

• damages
• injures
• mars
• compromises
• hurts
• cripples
• weakens
• harms
• breaks
• erodes
• impairs
• destroys
• flaws
• vitiates
• disfigures
• ruins
• undermines
• crosses (up)
• bloodies
• defaces
• blemishes
• crabs
• wounds
• deteriorates
• shatters
• endamages
• tarnishes
• enfeebles
• blights
• enervates
• wrecks
• demolishes
• washes out
• wears (away)
• scours
• wastes
• tortures
• batters
• smashes
• devastates
• annihilates
• lacerates
• desolates
• torments
• dents
• botches
• mutilates
• crushes
• wipes out
• decimates
• dings
• maims
• disables
• pulverizes
• totals
• tears down
• clobbers
• mangles
• queers
• bashes
• razes
• gums (up)
• lames
• scourges
• dints
• dashes
• does in
• bangs up
• hamstrings

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repairs
• doctors
• reconstructs
• rebuilds
• fixes
• helps
• renovates
• revamps
• patches
• reconditions
• heals
• mends
• cures
• remedies
• rectifies
• improves
• rehabilitates
• enhances
• enriches
• revises
• edits
• remodels
• ameliorates
• refines
• perfects
• betters
• meliorates

4

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

• indulges
• pleases
• nurses
• delights
• babies
• pampers
• mothers
• appeases
• coddles
• satisfies
• cossets
• dandles
• contents
• mollycoddles
• humors
• caters (to)
• wet-nurses
• gratifies
• soothes
• cockers
• gladdens
• obliges
• placates
• pacifies
• mollifies

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abuses
• controls
• misuses
• restrains
• mistreats
• maltreats
• mishandles
• oppresses
• disciplines
• neglects
• violates
• ill-treats
• manhandles
• ill-uses
• overlooks
• harms
• hurts
• outrages
• injures
• slights
• torments
• tortures
• molests
• victimizes
• harasses
• persecutes

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

Recent Examples of spoils

Noun

But Marconi also remembered that Messi would divide the spoils among his teammates, handing out alfajores to other boys. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Yet, outside the excellently claustrophobic Trojan Horse scenes, Nolan is more interested in exploring his anguish than his spoils. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

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

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

Verb

The jewel thieves’ spoils, all of which are still missing, include a sapphire necklace worn by Napoleon Bonaparte’s stepdaughter and an emerald necklace covered with more than 1,000 diamonds. — News Desk, Artforum, 22 July 2026

But nothing spoils your return quite like finding a black ring around your toilet bowl. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 17 July 2026

This post spoils the entirety of Season 1 of Netflix‘s Little House on the Prairie, particularly the finale episode. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 July 2026

Nothing spoils a good night's sleep quite like a hot, stuffy house. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 26 June 2026

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

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