spills
spills — verb
- spillspresent simple I / you / we / they
- spillses3rd person singular
- spillsing-ing form
- spillsedpast simple
1. to accidentally let a liquid or loose substance flow or fall out of its containe
to accidentally let a liquid or loose substance flow or fall out of its container onto a surface.
Aaron always spills his coffee when he rushes out the door.
spills + liquid object, by accident
The cracked bucket lets water spill out across the kitchen floor every morning.
If you fill the glass too high, the juice spills over the rim.
Salma tilted the heavy pot too far and spilled hot soup on the stove.
The overfilled bathtub spills warm water across the bathroom tiles.
文法句型
spill + object
something spills + over/onto
用法筆記
Frequently pairs with 'over' (the milk spills over) and marks the surface with 'on' or 'across'.
常見錯誤
2. to tell people a piece of secret information that was meant to stay private.
to tell people a piece of secret information that was meant to stay private.
Eli accidentally spills the surprise party plans to his own sister.
spills + secret/plans + to someone
A nervous witness often spills important details to the police by mistake.
Never tell Ritu a secret, because she spills everything to the whole office.
One careless email spills the company's plans to its biggest rival.
- withhold
keep information back on purpose
文法句型
spill + secret/information
spill + something + to someone
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: the object here is information (a secret, plans, news), never a liquid.
常見錯誤
spills — noun
- spillssingular
- spillsesplural
1. a quantity of liquid or other substance that has accidentally escaped from its c
a quantity of liquid or other substance that has accidentally escaped from its container.
Cleanup crews worked for weeks to clear the oil spills from the bay.
oil/fuel + spills (the leaked substance)
Chemical spills from the factory left a sticky mess on the road.
Sticky spills of syrup covered the counter near the busy coffee machine.
Two fuel spills near the harbor killed dozens of fish last summer.
用法筆記
Subject is usually a substance released into the environment — oil, fuel, or chemicals.
2. a single event in which liquid is accidentally tipped or poured out onto a surfa
a single event in which liquid is accidentally tipped or poured out onto a surface.
Two clumsy spills of red wine ruined the white tablecloth.
spills (countable spilling incidents)
Minor spills happen often when small children learn to pour their own milk.
The clumsy waiter caused three spills during one busy lunch shift.
During the toddler's party, three juice spills left sticky marks on the floor.
- splash
liquid scattering suddenly, often with a sound
用法筆記
Countable here: 'two spills', 'a few spills' — each one a separate spilling event.
3. a sudden vote in which the leaders of a political party must give up their roles
a sudden vote in which the leaders of a political party must give up their roles and stand for election again.
Two leadership spills in a single year shook the ruling party badly.
leadership/party + spill(s) — party politics
Australian voters watched yet another party spill push out their prime minister.
Reporters gathered outside as the cabinet spill forced several ministers from office.
Backbenchers threatened a leadership spill unless the unpopular policy was dropped.
用法筆記
Chiefly Australian politics: a 'spill' is a sudden vote on party leadership positions.