spoil

spoil — 動詞

1. to damage or reduce the enjoyment, interest, or attractiveness of something, mak

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

破壞；糟蹋

使事物失去原有的樂趣或美感

to damage or reduce the enjoyment, interest, or attractiveness of something, making it less good or pleasant than it was before.

例句

The sudden rain spoiled our picnic at the park.

突如其來的大雨破壞了我們在公園的野餐。

spoil + event/occasion

Vivek did not want to spoil the surprise for his sister.

Vivek 不想破壞妹妹的驚喜。

同義詞
  • ruin

    stronger and more final; implies complete destruction of the experience

  • wreck

    informal and forceful; suggests total failure of the event

  • damage

    less emotional; can refer to physical or abstract harm

  • mar

    more formal and literary; suggests a flaw rather than full ruin

反義詞
  • enhance

    to increase the enjoyment or quality of something

文法句型

spoil + noun phrase

用法筆記

Frequently used with nouns like 'fun', 'surprise', 'view', 'mood', 'ending', and 'pleasure'. The object is often an experience or an aesthetic quality.

常見錯誤

❌The rain ruined my phone' (when you mean physically broke it).
✅The rain spoiled my picnic.
💡'spoil' is for reducing enjoyment, not for physically destroying objects.

2. when food becomes too old or warm to eat safely, because bacteria or mould have

2.動詞不及物B1
釋義

變質；腐壞

食物變得不宜食用

when food becomes too old or warm to eat safely, because bacteria or mould have started to grow on it.

例句

The milk will spoil if you leave it out all day.

牛奶放在外面一整天就會變質。

intransitive: milk / meat / fruit spoil

Bao forgot about the fish in the fridge, and it spoiled quickly.

Bao 忘了冰箱裡有魚，結果魚很快就腐壞了。

同義詞
  • go bad

    informal equivalent; less specific about the cause

  • decay

    more formal; implies a natural biological process

  • rot

    stronger; suggests visible decomposition and smell

反義詞
  • keep

    food stays fresh and edible

文法句型

spoil (no object)

be spoiled (passive)

用法筆記

Commonly used with food items such as 'milk', 'meat', 'fish', 'fruit', 'vegetables', and 'cheese'. Often paired with a time or temperature condition ('if…', 'without a fridge…'). The passive form 'be spoiled' is also frequent: 'the meat was spoiled'.

常見錯誤

❌I spoiled the food by burning it.
✅The food spoiled because I left it out too long.
💡'spoil' for decay is intransitive; burning is 'ruin' or 'burn', not 'spoil'.

3. to mark a voting paper incorrectly so that election officials do not count it, e

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

投廢票

使選票無效，通常作為抗議

to mark a voting paper incorrectly so that election officials do not count it, either as a deliberate protest or by accident.

例句

Hari deliberately spoiled his ballot to protest the election.

Hari 故意投廢票以抗議這場選舉。

deliberate protest

Nearly three percent of voters spoiled their ballots in the last local election.

最近一次地方選舉中，將近百分之三的選民投了廢票。

spoil + ballot / voting paper

同義詞
  • invalidate

    more formal and general; used for any document, not just ballots

反義詞
  • cast

    to vote in a valid way

文法句型

spoil + (ballot / voting paper)

用法筆記

Almost always used with 'ballot', 'ballot paper', or 'voting paper'. The act can be intentional (protest) or accidental (error). This sense is most common in election-related contexts.

4. to treat someone in a very kind or generous way, often by giving them gifts, spe

4.動詞及物B1
釋義

寵愛；款待

慷慨對待以示關愛

to treat someone in a very kind or generous way, often by giving them gifts, special food, or extra attention to make them feel happy.

例句

Gabriela spoiled her mother with flowers and a homemade cake.

Gabriela 送了鮮花和自製蛋糕來寵愛媽媽。

spoil + person + with + gifts

The hotel spoiled its guests with free massages and champagne.

那家旅館以免費按摩和香檳款待客人。

同義詞
  • pamper

    similar meaning but focuses on comfort and indulgence

  • treat

    less intense; can mean a smaller, one-time gesture

  • indulge

    implies allowing someone to enjoy pleasures without restraint

反義詞
  • neglect

    to fail to care for or pay attention to someone

文法句型

spoil + person + (with + noun phrase)

spoil + reflexive

用法筆記

Unlike sense 5 (OVERINDULGE CHILD), this sense has a positive or neutral tone when applied to adults — it means 'pamper' or 'treat lavishly'. Can be used reflexively ('spoil oneself').

常見錯誤

❌I spoiled my son by never saying no to him' (meaning bad parenting).
✅I spoiled my son with a trip to the amusement park' (meaning a generous treat).
💡The same verb can mean different things depending on context.

5. to raise a child by granting every request and never enforcing boundaries, causi

5.動詞及物B1
釋義

溺愛；寵壞

對小孩有求必應，導致行為問題

to raise a child by granting every request and never enforcing boundaries, causing the child to become demanding and lacking in respect for others.

例句

Some parents worry that they will spoil their child if they give in too often.

有些父母擔心，如果太常順著小孩的要求，就會寵壞孩子。

spoil a child by giving in

Wren's grandmother spoiled him so much that he never learned to share.

Wren 的祖母太過溺愛他，導致他從來不懂得分享。

同義詞
  • coddle

    implies overprotecting someone from difficulty

  • pamper

    can be neutral or positive when used with adults, but negative with children

反義詞

文法句型

spoil + child / kid

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 4 (TREAT GENEROUSLY). This sense carries a negative judgement about parenting and the child's behaviour. The focus is on the harmful result — lack of discipline and respect — not on the generosity itself.

常見錯誤

❌I spoiled my friend with a nice dinner' (confusing with sense 4).
✅Parents who never say no spoil their children.
💡The context of child-rearing makes it clear this is the negative meaning.

6. to take valuable things by force from a place, especially during a war or invasi

6.動詞及物C2
釋義

掠奪；洗劫

以武力奪取財物

to take valuable things by force from a place, especially during a war or invasion; to rob or strip a location of its possessions.

例句

The invading army spoiled the village of all its gold and food.

入侵軍隊洗劫了村莊，搶走所有黃金和糧食。

spoil + place + of + possessions

Ancient records describe how the temple was spoiled by enemy soldiers.

古代文獻記載了這座寺廟如何被敵軍掠奪。

passive: was spoiled by

同義詞
  • plunder

    the more common modern equivalent; less archaic

  • loot

    informal; suggests chaotic stealing

  • pillage

    specifically about war-time destruction and theft

  • despoil

    very formal and literary; almost synonymous

反義詞
  • protect

    to keep a place safe from harm or theft

文法句型

spoil + location / place

用法筆記

This sense is archaic or literary in modern English. It appears mainly in historical texts, religious writing, or formal accounts of warfare. The more common modern word for this meaning is 'plunder' or 'loot'.

7. to be very eager or desperate to fight, argue, or cause conflict, usually becaus

7.動詞不及物C2
釋義

想惹事

急於找人打架或吵架

to be very eager or desperate to fight, argue, or cause conflict, usually because of pent-up frustration or anger.

例句

After losing the match, the angry player was spoiling for a fight.

輸掉比賽後，那名憤怒的球員一心只想找人打架。

spoiling for a fight — fixed phrase

Yael had a bad day and seemed to be spoiling for an argument with anyone nearby.

Yael 這天過得很糟，似乎想找附近的任何人吵架。

spoiling for an argument

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

spoil for (a fight / trouble / an argument)

用法筆記

Only used in the continuous form 'spoiling for' with a noun phrase that indicates conflict: 'a fight', 'an argument', 'trouble', 'a quarrel'. It does not take other objects or appear in simple tenses ('*he spoiled for a fight').

常見錯誤

❌He is spoiling for a cake.
✅He is spoiling for a fight.
💡The phrase only works with conflict-related nouns.

spoil — 名詞