{
    "term": "spoil",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "spoil",
            "heSheIt": "spoils"
        },
        "pastSimple": "spoiled",
        "pastParticiple": "spoiled",
        "ingForm": "spoiling"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to change something good into something bad, unpleasant, etc.",
            "sensetop": "spoil something",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Our camping trip was spoilt by bad weather."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Don't let him spoil your evening."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The tall buildings have spoiled the view."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Don't eat too many nuts—you'll **spoil your appetite** *(= will no longer be hungry at the proper time to eat)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I won’t tell you what happens in the last chapter—I don’t want to spoil it for you."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Don't let the bad weather spoil your trip."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her selfish behaviour completely spoiled the evening."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I don't want to spoil things for everyone else."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It would be a pity to spoil the surprise."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Now, don't be hard on the children and spoil their fun!"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The bad weather really spoilt things for us."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Why did they have to act so aggressively and spoil everything?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I don't want to spoil your fun, but it's nearly time to go home."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The new buildings have completely spoiled the view."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The performance was spoilt by the constant noise from the audience."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Why do you always have to spoil everything?"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["completely", "quite", "rather"],
                "verb + spoil": ["hate to", "not be going to", "not want to"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to give a child everything that they ask for and not enough discipline in a way that has a bad effect on their character and behaviour",
            "sensetop": "spoil somebody",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She spoils those kids of hers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "My grandparents used to **spoil me rotten**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He spoils the children with expensive toys."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Those children are thoroughly spoiled!"
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "overindulge",
            "collocations": {
                "preposition": ["with"],
                "phrases": [
                    "be completely spoiled",
                    "be thoroughly spoiled",
                    "be utterly spoiled"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to make somebody/yourself happy by doing something special",
            "sensetop": "spoil somebody/yourself",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Why not spoil yourself with a weekend in a top hotel?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He really spoiled me on my birthday."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to become bad so that it can no longer be eaten",
            "examples": [],
            "synonyms": "go off (6)"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "to mark a ballot paper in a way that is not correct so the vote does not count, especially as a form of protest",
            "sensetop": "spoil something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The group called on its supporters to spoil their ballot papers."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to want to fight with somebody very much",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to cause something good to fail because you did not spend a small but necessary amount of money or time on a small but essential part of it",
            "labels": "(saying)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "if too many people are involved in doing something, it will not be done well",
            "labels": "(saying)",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/spɔɪl/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoil__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/spɔɪlz/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoils__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/spɔɪld/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoiled__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/spɔɪlt/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoilt__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈspɔɪlɪŋ/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoiling__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/spɔɪl/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoil__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/spɔɪlz/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoils__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/spɔɪld/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoiled__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/spɔɪlt/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoilt__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈspɔɪlɪŋ/",
                "audio": "sp/spoil/spoiling__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (in the sense ‘to plunder’): shortening of Old French espoille (noun), espoillier (verb), from Latin spoliare, from spolium ‘plunder, skin stripped from an animal’, or a shortening of despoil."
}