spillage

IPA/ˈspɪlɪdʒ/
KK[spˈɪlɪdʒ]IPA/ˈspɪlɪdʒ/

spillage — noun

  • spillagesingular
  • spillagesplural

1. liquid that accidentally escapes from its container, or the event of this happen

1.nounB2
Definition

liquid that accidentally escapes from its container, or the event of this happening

Example

A small spillage of oil from the truck caused a long delay on the highway.

spillage of + substance noun

Keiko wiped up the coffee spillage on the kitchen counter before it stained the wood.

Common collocations
  • spillage of oil
  • spillage of chemicals
  • spillage of milk
  • chemical spillage
  • oil spillage
  • milk spillage
Synonyms
  • spill

    more common in everyday conversation; 'spillage' is slightly more formal or technical

  • leakage

    suggests slow escape through a crack or hole rather than an accidental overturn

  • overflow

    specifically refers to liquid that exceeds the container's capacity, not necessarily accidental

Antonyms
  • containment

    the act of keeping liquid inside the intended container or area

Usage Note

Commonly followed by 'of' plus the substance that was spilled. Countable when referring to a single incident (a spillage), uncountable when referring to the general concept or abstract amounts.

Common Mistakes

I cleaned the spillage milk on the table.
I cleaned the milk spillage on the table.
when the substance comes first, use it as a modifier before 'spillage'.
There are spillage on the office floor.
There is a spillage on the office floor.
when referring to a single incident, use 'a spillage' or treat it as countable.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Spill and spillage are very close in meaning, but spillage sounds slightly more formal or technical — a factory reports a chemical spillage, while a child might make a spill at the dinner table. Leakage suggests a slow, unintended escape through a gap or crack rather than a sudden overturning event. Overflow refers specifically to liquid that rises above a container's rim, often because too much was added. Discharge is a broader term for any release of a substance, whether accidental or deliberate, and is common in industrial or medical contexts. In everyday use, spill is the most natural choice; spillage is best reserved for reports, warnings, and formal descriptions.

spill ↗leakage ↗overflow ↗discharge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • spillage of [substance]
  • spillage from [container]
  • spillage into [waterway]
  • report a spillage
  • clean up a spillage

Prepositions

  • of (spillage of oil)
  • from (spillage from the container)
  • into (spillage into the river)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishFrench (suffix -age)English

Spillage was formed by adding the suffix -age (from French, used to create nouns indicating an action or its result) to the verb spill. The verb spill comes from Old English spillan, which originally meant 'to destroy, kill, or waste'. By the Middle English period, the meaning shifted from 'destroy' to 'cause liquid to fall or be lost'. The noun spillage first appeared in written English around the 1700s as a more formal alternative to the older noun spill.