How to Use spoil in a Sentence

spoil

1 of 2 verb
  • The fight spoiled the party.
  • You should spoil yourself with a day at the spa.
  • I spoiled the sauce by adding too much garlic.
  • The milk was beginning to spoil.
  • Exposure to air will spoil the wine.
  • The camping trip was spoiled by bad weather.
  • Don't let one mistake spoil your day.
  • She always spoils me on my birthday.
  • Don't spoil your appetite by snacking too much.
  • The hotel spoils their guests with fine dining and excellent service.
  • We are spoiled for choice in this town.
    — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
  • By this point, the cheese is spoiled.
    — Jem Aswad, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025
  • To say much more would spoil the play’s twists.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Nectar can spoil and harm birds.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 24 June 2026
  • The first ballot will be spoiled.
    — Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Jane noticed that he was spoiled.
    — CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Birds and pests may spoil your harvest.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 4 Apr. 2026
  • We have been spoiled the last two seasons.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
  • An egg that floats to the top is not fresh and could be spoiled.
    — Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 10 June 2026
  • Is this going to spoil shows for fans?
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 14 June 2026
  • Injuries spoiled the past two years.
    — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Telling more than that spoils what happens.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 28 May 2026
  • Hunger doesn’t spoil my fun either.
    — Susan D'arcy, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2026
  • The point isn’t to stop them from spoiling it.
    — Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
  • We’ve been spoiled in recent years.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Dane admits that first sales trip spoiled him for life.
    — Laura Ness, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Cut florets will spoil a bit faster than a whole head.
    — Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The old adage says that one bad apple can spoil the bunch.
    — Holly Corbett, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
  • These common items can spoil faster when stored in the door.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 21 June 2026
  • That would spoil things for those who haven’t seen either movie.
    — Gene Seymour, CNN, 25 Sep. 2022

spoil

2 of 2 noun
  • What may change is the venue where heirs fight over the spoils.
    — Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Aug. 2019
  • To the best adaptor goes the spoils.
    — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The spoils were spread across five countries.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But who gets to enjoy the spoils of the new world?
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
  • To the victor go the spoils, the adage tells us.
    — Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Kendrick won, for sure—to the victor go the spoils.
    — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 18 May 2026
  • Emery has won just one of those, with the pair sharing the spoils four times.
    — SI.com, 15 Sep. 2019
  • The rest of the field looks to flip scripts and spoil narratives.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Before the match, a share of the spoils would have been welcome.
    — Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
  • The true-crime tale of a genius art thief who kept all the spoils for himself.
    — The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
  • To the most connected went the spoils and the wins at the ballot box.
    — Marcos Breton, sacbee, 18 Mar. 2018
  • But now the ultimate spoils of that journey are just two wins away.
    — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2023
  • After a day on the slopes, there are plenty of other spoils.
    — Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 19 Dec. 2025
  • These are the spoils of Martin’s life and of his second chance.
    — Bill Reiter, kansascity, 2 Mar. 2018
  • The dogs have already gathered to taste the spoils of my failure.
    — Tonilyn Hornung, Good Housekeeping, 16 Dec. 2019
  • No more market gluts that spoil catches or result in mushy frozen filets.
    — Amanda Leland, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
  • There may well be some sort of reward at the end of the tunnel, so enjoy the spoils.
    — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2024
  • Many spoil, become soggy, or lose their flavor.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 19 May 2026
  • When stored in oil, fresh herbs retain their flavor—and don’t get wilted, brown, or spoil.
    — Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Try shrimp near spoil islands for blue runners, trout and a few mangrove snapper.
    — Mark Blythe, OrlandoSentinel.com, 20 June 2018
  • The indictment said Rozier shared in some of those spoils.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
  • But the spoils from Atlanta brought in far more revenue than anything that was spent.
    — Shannon Green, OrlandoSentinel.com, 21 Feb. 2018
  • When those machines were turned on, all would (in theory) enjoy the spoils.
    — Gregory Barber, Wired, 10 Dec. 2019
  • On TikTok, those who braved the line, which snaked around the block twice, showed off their spoils.
    — Tara Gonzalez, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 May 2023
  • That leaves the spoils largely to retail investors—one reason why cannabis stocks are so volatile.
    — Carol Ryan, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019
  • But for now, the Pelicans should enjoy this moment and the spoils that come with it.
    — William Guillory, NOLA.com, 26 May 2018
  • But there’s also a genuine discomfort that comes with the spoils of success.
    — Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The bigger spoils flow from sprightlier businesses that know how to crunch data.
    — The Economist, 31 May 2018
  • Most victors get to keep their spoils—but there’s only one Stanley Cup.
    — Stephen Krupin, SI.com, 11 June 2018
  • Yes, but living together in the spoil now called New York is not a good choice.
    — WSJ, 2 June 2021

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

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