n. Arms and armor stripped from a defeated enemy; the plunder taken from an enemy in war; booty; loot; hence, that which is seized or falls to one after any struggle; specifically, in recent use, the patronage and emoluments of office, considered as a reward for zeal or service rendered in a struggle of parties: frequently in the plural: as, the spoils of capture; to the victor belong the spoils; the spoils of office; party spoils.n. The act of plundering, pillaging, or despoiling; the act of spoliation; pillage; robbery.n. Injury; damage; waste; havoc; destruction.n. An object of pillage or spoliation; a thing to be preyed upon; a prey.n. Waste material, as that obtained in mining, quarrying, excavating canals, making railway cuttings, etc. Compare spoil-bank.n. The slough, or cast skin, of a serpent or other animal.n. In spoil-five, a drawn game.n. Synonyms Plunder, Booty, etc. See pillage, n.To strip with violence; rob; pillage; plunder; despoil: with of before the thing taken.To seize or take by force; carry off as booty.To destroy; ruin; injure; mar; impair; render useless, or less valuable, potent, or the like; seriously impair the quality, value, soundness, beauty, usefulness, pleasantness, etc., of: as, to spoil a thing in the making; to spoil one's chances of promotion; to spoil the fun.To injure, vitiate, or impair in any way; especially, as applied to persons, to vitiate or impair in character or disposition; render less filial, obedient, affectionate, mannerly, modest, contented, or the like: as, to spare the rod and spoil the child; to spoil one with flattery.To cut up; carve: as, to spoil a hen.To engage in plunder and robbery; pillage; rob.To decay; become tainted or unsavory; lose freshness: as, fruit and fish soon spoil in warm weather.
