spoil

/ˈspȯi(-ə)l/

Middle English, from Anglo-French espuiller, espoiller, from Latin spoliare to strip of natural covering, despoil, from spolium skin, hide

verb

  1. to damage seriously : ruin

  2. to impair the quality or effect of

  3. to impair the disposition or character of by overindulgence or excessive praise

a quarrel spoiled the celebration

decay decompose rot putrefy spoil mean to undergo destructive dissolution. decay implies a slow change from a state of soundness or perfection. decompose stresses a breaking down by chemical change and when applied to organic matter a corruption.

noun

  1. plunder taken from an enemy in war or from a victim in robbery : loot

  2. something valuable or desirable gained through special effort or opportunism or in return for a favor —usually used in plural

  3. public offices made the property of a successful party —usually used in plural

spoil plunder booty prize loot 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. plunder applies to what is taken not only in war but in robbery, banditry, grafting, or swindling.