INDEX:
1. to make something look, taste, or seem much less good
2. to spoil someone’s work or plans
3. to spoil a relationship or friendship
4. to make an event less enjoyable or successful
5. to spoil the good opinion that people have of someone
6. someone who spoils things
7. not spoiled
RELATED WORDS
to spoil a child : ↑ KIND (2)
see also
↑ DAMAGE
↑ BREAK
↑ DESTROY
↑ MARK
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1. to make something look, taste, or seem much less good
▷ spoil /spɔɪl/ [transitive verb not usually in progressive]
▪ A badly positioned path can spoil the appearance of a garden.
▪ The power station is extremely ugly, and it spoils the view of the sea.
spoil something for somebody
▪ New housing developments are spoiling the countryside for everyone.
▷ ruin /ˈruːɪn, ˈruːən/ [transitive verb]
to completely spoil something :
▪ The rain had ruined her best velvet skirt.
▪ Don’t use harsh soap to wash your face. It will ruin your skin.
▪ Protestors say that the proposed new airport will ruin this peaceful area.
▷ mar /mɑːʳ/ [transitive verb] written
to spoil the appearance or beauty of a person or place :
▪ Electricity cables and oil pipelines mar many of the world’s most beautiful landscapes.
▪ He had handsome Arabic features, marred by a long scar across his face.
▷ detract from /dɪˈtrækt frɒm/ [transitive phrasal verb not usually in progressive]
to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, impressive etc :
▪ Even a bruise on her cheekbone did not detract from her beauty.
▪ The proposed building would detract from the character of the surrounding area.
2. to spoil someone’s work or plans
▷ spoil /spɔɪl/ [transitive verb]
▪ Don’t let me spoil your plans.
▪ This scandal could spoil the Senator’s chances of becoming President.
▪ We were going to get married, but then war broke out and spoiled everything.
spoil something for somebody
▪ Starting a family so soon would definitely spoil her career prospects for her.
▷ ruin /ˈruːɪn, ˈruːən/ [transitive verb]
to completely spoil what someone has been trying to do :
▪ Surely you don’t want to ruin all our good work, do you?
▪ Serious in-fighting ruined the Conservatives’ chances of winning the election.
▷ mess up /ˌmes ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal
to spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned :
mess up something
▪ The travel agents messed up the arrangements and there was no room for us at the hotel.
mess something up
▪ We secretly organized a party for her, but then Bill messed everything up by telling her about it.
▷ undermine /ˌʌndəʳˈmaɪn/ [transitive verb]
to spoil something that has taken a long time to develop :
▪ The kidnappings undermined several months of delicate peace negotiations.
▪ The US was accused of undermining international efforts to combat global warming.
▷ screw up /ˌskruː ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal
to completely spoil something such as a plan, especially by doing something stupid :
▪ Someone screwed up and what was supposed to be a confidential email was copies to everyone in the company.
screw something up
▪ I can’t trust you to do anything right can I? You always manage to screw things up.
screw up something
▪ There was no way he was going to allow her to screw up his plans.
▷ sabotage /ˈsæbətɑːʒ/ [transitive verb]
to deliberately spoil someone’s plans or arrangements because you do not want them to succeed :
▪ Her father sabotaged her acting ambitions by refusing to let her go to drama school.
▪ The attack is being seen as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the peace talks.
▷ throw a spanner in the works British /throw a monkey wrench in/into something American /ˌθrəʊ ə ˈspænəʳ ɪn ðə ˌwɜːʳks, ˌθrəʊ ə ˈmʌŋki rentʃ ɪn, ɪntə something/ [verb phrase] informal
to unexpectedly do something that prevents a plan or process from continuing or succeeding :
▪ ‘He won’t lend us the money after all.’ ‘Well, that’s really thrown a spanner in the works, hasn’t it?’
▪ The President’s veto threw a wrench into a program that had already been approved by a big majority of the Congress.
▷ pour cold water on /ˌpɔːʳ kəʊld ˈwɔːtər ɒn/ [verb phrase]
to spoil someone’s plan, suggestion, or attitude towards something, by saying something that makes it seem less attractive or less likely to succeed :
▪ Her mother had poured cold water on the whole idea of Eva going to Africa.
▪ The committee’s final report, just published, pours cold water on government proposals for helping the unemployed.
3. to spoil a relationship or friendship
▷ spoil /spɔɪl/ [transitive verb]
▪ His jealousy spoiled their relationship, and she left him after a few months.
▪ The assassination attempt has definitely spoilt the previously positive atmosphere between the opposing parties.
▷ sour /saʊəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to spoil a friendly relationship between people, especially when this happens gradually :
▪ The affair did not seem to have soured their friendship.
▪ The global trend towards higher taxation on fuel consumption is souring relations with leading oil-producing states.
▪ The incident was serious enough to sour the atmosphere for weeks.
▷ poison /ˈpɔɪz ə n/ [transitive verb]
to spoil a relationship, especially a close one, by causing a situation in which people can no longer trust each other :
▪ Our marriage was poisoned by mistrust, deceit and jealousy.
▷ destroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ [transitive verb]
to completely spoil a relationship or friendship :
▪ I don’t want this to destroy our friendship.
▪ Her feelings of self-doubt had destroyed every relationship that she had ever had.
4. to make an event less enjoyable or successful
▷ spoil /spɔɪl/ [transitive verb]
▪ The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.
▪ Why did you have to invite Jerry? You’ve spoiled the whole weekend.
▪ This was her moment of glory, and she wasn’t going to let anyone spoil it.
spoil something for somebody
▪ She wanted to do her own thing, but was afraid of spoiling Christmas for the rest of the family.
spoil things
▪ He got very drunk that evening, and seemed determined to spoil things for all of us.
▷ ruin /ˈruːɪn, ˈruːən/ [transitive verb]
to completely spoil an event or occasion, with the result that no-one enjoys it :
▪ How can you prevent stomach upsets from ruining your holiday?
ruin something for somebody
▪ John and Sandy argued all the time, which completely ruined the evening for the rest of us.
▷ mar /mɑːʳ/ [transitive verb usually in passive]
if something unpleasant such as an argument or accident mars a big or important event, it makes it less enjoyable or less successful :
▪ Outbreaks of fighting and lawlessness marred the New Year celebrations.
▪ The race was marred by a horrific accident involving Niki Lauda.
▷ put a damper on /ˌpʊt ə ˈdæmpər ɒn/ [verb phrase]
if bad news, bad weather etc puts a damper on something, especially on a social event such as a party, it spoils people’s enjoyment of it :
▪ The bad news put a damper on the celebrations.
▪ Torrential rain put a damper on the event, sending bedraggled guests squelching across lawns to seek shelter.
▷ cast a shadow over /ˌkɑːst ə ˈʃædəʊ əʊvəʳǁˌkæst-/ [verb phrase]
if something casts a shadow over an event, period of time etc, it makes people feel less happy or hopeful because they are worrying about it :
▪ The threat of war cast a shadow over the summer of 1939.
▪ This argument with Kuroda did, I must admit, cast a shadow over my mood.
5. to spoil the good opinion that people have of someone
▷ spoil somebody’s image /ˌspɔɪl somebodyˈs ˈɪmɪdʒ/ [verb phrase]
to spoil the idea that people have about someone, especially a famous person who is often on television, in newspapers and magazines etc :
▪ The star’s cleancut image has been spoiled by accusations of gambling and drug-taking.
▷ damage somebody’s reputation /ˌdæmɪdʒ somebodyˈs repjʊˈteɪʃ ə n/ [transitive verb]
to make people no longer have a good opinion about someone, especially a politician or someone with an important job :
▪ My main concern was to prevent this incident from damaging my reputation.
▷ damaging /ˈdæmɪdʒɪŋ/ [adjective]
containing information about someone’s dishonest or immoral behaviour, which damages the good opinion that people have of them :
▪ We can’t risk any damaging scandals just before a Presidential election.
▪ His career had been ruined by the sensational and damaging stories that appeared in the popular press.
damaging to
▪ The recent court cases have been very damaging to the public image of the medical profession.
▷ discredit /dɪsˈkredɪt, dɪsˈkredət/ [transitive verb]
to damage the good opinion that people have of a person or organization, especially when this is done deliberately and in order to get an advantage :
▪ It was a blatant attempt to discredit the Prime Minister.
▪ There were reports that his campaign team had been trying to dig up information that might discredit his rival.
▷ smear campaign /ˈsmɪəʳ kæmˌpeɪn/ [countable noun]
when an organization such as a political party or newspaper deliberately tries to find out and tell people about bad things someone in a public position has done, for example so that people are less likely to vote for them :
▪ The magistrates who investigated his business empire have been made victims of a smear campaign.
smear campaign against
▪ He called on people to ignore what he called a smear campaign against the government.
6. someone who spoils things
▷ wet blanket /ˌwet ˈblæŋkə̇tǁˈwet ˌblæŋ-/ [countable noun] informal
someone who spoils a happy event for other people, especially by refusing to join in with everyone else :
▪ Stop being a wet blanket and come and dance.
▪ Does he have to come on vacation with us? He’s such a wet blanket!
▷ spoiler /ˈspɔɪləʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who deliberately spoils someone else’s enjoyment, happiness, or plans :
▪ My ex-husband was a real spoiler who turned every happy event into a nightmare.
▷ spoilsport /ˈspɔɪlspɔːʳt/ [countable noun] informal
someone who spoils other people’s enjoyment, especially by trying to prevent them from doing something :
▪ ‘I don’t think we should go in there - someone might see us.’ ‘Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport - come on!’
▷ party pooper /ˈpɑːʳti ˌpuːpəʳ/ [countable noun] spoken informal
someone who spoils other people’s fun, for example by saying that they should not be doing what they are doing :
▪ When he said it was time to wind things up, the others accused him of being a party pooper.
▷ killjoy /ˈkɪldʒɔɪ/ [countable noun] informal
someone who disapproves of things that other people enjoy and who tries to stop them enjoying themselves :
▪ We wanted to do a sponsored dance after work but those killjoys in Head Office wouldn’t let us.
7. not spoiled
▷ unspoiled/unspoilt /ˌʌnˈspɔɪld◂, ˌʌnˈspɔɪlt◂/ [adjective]
a place or area that is unspoiled or unspoilt has not been spoiled by being changed :
▪ This is one of Africa’s oldest remaining areas of unspoilt rainforest.
▪ an unspoiled fishing village on the Mediterranean coast
▪ It was only by the grace of God that the village remained largely unspoiled.
▷ unblemished /ˌʌnˈblemɪʃt/ [adjective]
not spoiled in any way - use this about the opinion people have of someone or how well someone has done their job :
▪ Lord Edwards is retiring after an unblemished career that has lasted thirty years.
▪ an unblemished record of service to the community
▪ She is a woman with an unblemished reputation of fairness and competence.