spill

1 of 3

verb

spilled ˈspild How to pronounce spill (audio) ˈspilt How to pronounce spill (audio) also spilt ˈspilt How to pronounce spill (audio) ; spilling

transitive verb

1
: to cause or allow especially accidentally or unintentionally to fall, flow, or run out so as to be lost or wasted
2
a
: to cause (blood) to be lost by wounding
b
archaic : kill, destroy
3
: to let out : divulge
spill a secret
4
a
: to relieve (a sail) from the pressure of the wind so as to reef or furl it
b
: to relieve the pressure of (wind) on a sail by coming about or by adjusting the sail with lines
5
: to throw off or out
a horse spilled him

intransitive verb

1
a
: to flow, run, or fall out, over, or off and become wasted, scattered, or lost
water spilling over the dam
b
: to cause or allow something to spill
2
: to spread profusely or beyond bounds
crowds spilled into the streets
3
: to fall from one's place (as on a horse)
spillable adjective
spiller noun

spill

2 of 3

noun (1)

1
: the act or an instance of spilling
especially : a fall from a horse or vehicle or an erect position
2
: something spilled

spill

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
: a wooden splinter
2
: a small roll or twist of paper or slip of wood for lighting a fire
Phrases
spill one's guts
: to divulge especially personal information
spill the beans
: to divulge secret or hidden information

Examples of spill in a Sentence

Verb I accidentally spilled coffee all over my new suit. Clean up the flour you spilled on the floor. a puddle of spilled water Water spilled over the dam. She opened the door and light spilled into the room. an interviewer who gets celebrities to spill their secrets Come on, spill it. Who gave you the money?
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Over the past month, Boeing planes operated by United have lost a tire, run off the runway, spilled hydraulic fluid midflight, and spouted flames from the engine. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 The state's citrus industry in recent years has been squeezed between a fast-spreading bacteria that has attacked the health of trees all over the state and relentless growth that has spilled over as its metro areas have expanded. Mike Schneider, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Stalls selling books and cafes spilling tables and chairs onto the street line the broad pedestrian path where families strolled, couples canoodled, and friends gossiped. Naomi Tomky, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2024 Witness the 2014 iCloud hack that spilled dozens of celebrities’ private photos across the internet, or the 2015 attack on Ashley Madison, a website enabling extramarital affairs, exposing the personal details of thousands of subscribers. Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024 Harsh weather and rising costs have hurt almond and other crop growers, spilling into other parts of the economy, especially in the Central Valley. Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The fire, which has burned some 1,700 square miles and spilled into neighboring Oklahoma, was about 44% contained as of Wednesday. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2024 Camila Cabello sipped wine and spilled tea during her Wednesday (March 6) interview on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast — especially where Shawn Mendes was concerned. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 On the first Tuesday since announcing its closure, Mandrake was drawing happy hour crowds that spilled across the front bar, lounge area and bougainvillea-lush patio. Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
Other standouts were a Trompe l’oeil suit that looks like an x-ray of wooden bones, and another ombre effect suit but in blue and white, and a blue striped button-down with bright blue splotches of paint spills. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 18 Mar. 2024 The location of the seep is not far from the site of a large spill in 2021 that occurred when a ship’s anchor punctured an underwater oil pipeline in San Pedro Bay, sending 25,000 gallons of crude gushing into the waters off Huntington Beach. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Her hair, an exuberant spill of eighties curls, makes a silhouette on the column behind her. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024 Containment booms were deployed to clean up the spill. Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 Two years ago, the 2021 air show was canceled following an oil spill off the coast of Orange County. Michael Slaten, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Investigators traced the spill upstream to the unoccupied Fini-Finish shop building near Mound, south of 10 Mile. Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 According to Cindy Noble, president of the Feather River chapter of Trout Unlimited, the recent train spill is not an isolated incident. Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 21 Feb. 2024 No one was injured and the spill did not escape the plant compound. Mari Yamaguchi, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English spillan; akin to Old English spildan to destroy and perhaps to Latin spolium animal skin, Greek sphallein to cause to fall

Noun (2)

Middle English spille; akin to Middle Low German spīle thin stick, peg

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2b

Noun (1)

circa 1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spill was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near spill

Cite this Entry

“Spill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spill. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spill

1 of 2 verb
spilled ˈspild How to pronounce spill (audio) ˈspilt How to pronounce spill (audio) also spilt ˈspilt How to pronounce spill (audio) ; spilling
1
: to cause (blood) to flow by wounding or killing
2
a
: to cause or allow to fall, flow, or run out by accident
spilled some flour on the floor
b
: to fall or run out so as to be lost or wasted
the milk spilled
c
: to spread beyond limits
crowds spilled into the streets
3
: to throw off or out
a horse spilled its rider
4
: to let out : give away
spilled the secret
spillable adjective
spiller noun

spill

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: an act or instance of spilling
b
: a fall from a horse or vehicle
2
: something spilled
cleaning up an oil spill

More from Merriam-Webster on spill

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!