Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Spoil \Spoil\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spoiled}or {Spoilt}; p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Spoiling}.] [F. spolier, OF. espoilelier, fr. L.
   spoliare, fr. spolium spoil. Cf. {Despoil}, {Spoliation}.]
   1. To plunder; to strip by violence; to pillage; to rob; --
      with of before the name of the thing taken; as, to spoil
      one of his goods or possession. ``Ye shall spoil the
      Egyptians.'' --Ex. iii. 22.

            My sons their old, unhappy sire despise, Spoiled of
            his kingdom, and deprived of eues.    --Pope.

   2. To seize by violence;; to take by force; to plunder.

            No man can enter into a strong man's house, and
            spoil his goods, except he will first bind the
            strong man.                           --Mark iii.
                                                  27.

   3. To cause to decay and perish; to corrput; to vitiate; to
      mar.

            Spiritual pride spoils many graces.   --Jer. Taylor.

   4. To render useless by injury; to injure fatally; to ruin;
      to destroy; as, to spoil paper; to have the crops spoiled
      by insects; to spoil the eyes by reading.

Spoil \Spoil\, v. i.
   1. To practice plunder or robbery.

            Outlaws, which, lurking in woods, used to break
            forth to rob and spoil.               --Spenser.

   2. To lose the valuable qualities; to be corrupted; to decay;
      as, fruit will soon spoil in warm weather.

Spoil \Spoil\, n. [Cf. OF. espoille, L. spolium.]
   1. That which is taken from another by violence; especially,
      the plunder taken from an enemy; pillage; booty.

            Gentle gales, Fanning their odoriferous wings,
            dispense Native perfumes, and whisper whence they
            stole Those balmy spoils.             --Milton.

   2. Public offices and their emoluments regarded as the
      peculiar property of a successful party or faction, to be
      bestowed for its own advantage; -- commonly in the plural;
      as to the victor belong the spoils.

            From a principle of gratitude I adhered to the
            coalition; my vote was counted in the day of battle,
            but I was overlooked in the division of the spoil.
                                                  --Gibbon.

   3. That which is gained by strength or effort.

            each science and each art his spoil.  --Bentley.

   4. The act or practice of plundering; robbery; aste.

            The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not
            moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for
            treason, stratagems, and spoil.       --Shak.

   5. Corruption; cause of corruption. [Archaic]

            Villainous company hath been the spoil of me.
                                                  --Shak.

   6. The slough, or cast skin, of a serpent or other animal.
      [Obs.] --Bacon.

   {Spoil bank}, a bank formed by the earth taken from an
      excavation, as of a canal.

   {The spoils system}, the theory or practice of regarding
      public and their emoluments as so much plunder to be
      distributed among their active partisans by those who are
      chosen to responsible offices of administration.

Source : WordNet®

spoil
     v 1: make a mess of, destroy or ruin; "I botched the dinner and
          we had to eat out"; "the pianist screwed up the
          difficult passage in the second movement" [syn: {botch},
           {bumble}, {fumble}, {botch up}, {muff}, {blow}, {flub},
           {screw up}, {ball up}, {muck up}, {bungle}, {fluff}, {bollix},
           {bollix up}, {bollocks}, {bollocks up}, {bobble}, {mishandle},
           {louse up}, {foul up}, {mess up}, {fuck up}]
     2: become unfit for consumption or use; "the meat must be eaten
        before it spoils" [syn: {go bad}]
     3: alter from the original [syn: {corrupt}]
     4: treat with excessive indulgence; "grandparents often pamper
        the children"; "Let's not mollycoddle our students!" [syn:
         {pamper}, {featherbed}, {cosset}, {cocker}, {baby}, {coddle},
         {mollycoddle}, {indulge}]
     5: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; "What
        ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing
        September surge"; "foil your opponent" [syn: {thwart}, {queer},
         {scotch}, {foil}, {cross}, {frustrate}, {baffle}, {bilk}]
     6: have a strong desire or urge to do something; "She is
        itching to start the project"; "He is spoiling for a
        fight" [syn: {itch}]
     7: destroy and strip of its possession; "The soldiers raped the
        beautiful country" [syn: {rape}, {despoil}, {violate}, {plunder}]
     8: make imperfect; "nothing marred her beauty" [syn: {mar}, {impair},
         {deflower}, {vitiate}]
     [also: {spoilt}]

spoil
     n 1: (usually plural) valuables taken by violence (especially in
          war); "to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy"
     2: the act of spoiling something by causing damage to it; "her
        spoiling my dress was deliberate" [syn: {spoiling}, {spoilage}]
     3: the act of stripping and taking by force [syn: {spoliation},
         {spoilation}, {despoilation}, {despoilment}, {despoliation}]
     [also: {spoilt}]