spoiler
spoiler — noun
- spoilersingular
- spoilersplural
1. information that reveals key details about a film, book, TV show, or game before
information that reveals key details about a film, book, TV show, or game before someone has had the chance to experience it, which can ruin the surprise
Amara accidentally gave away a huge spoiler about the final episode during lunch.
collocation: huge spoiler
Kwame warned his friends that his review contained spoilers for the new mystery film.
The article opened with a spoiler warning so new viewers could look away in time.
Siti begged her brother not to share any spoilers before she watched the season finale.
Even a minor spoiler in the trailer took away the film's best surprise.
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 4: this sense is about revealing plot details, not about competing media products. Often used with 'alert' or 'warning'.
常見錯誤
2. a flat panel fitted to a vehicle or plane wing that changes how air flows around
a flat panel fitted to a vehicle or plane wing that changes how air flows around it, helping to keep it steady or slow it down
The racing car's rear spoiler kept it pressed against the track at top speed.
collocation: rear spoiler
Fatima watched the spoilers on the plane's wings rise just before landing.
Mei-Lin added a sleek black spoiler to the back of her sports car.
When the pilot raised the spoilers, the aircraft began to lose height.
A damaged spoiler can make a car feel unstable at motorway speeds.
- air dam
specifically refers to a front air deflector on a car, while spoiler usually refers to the rear one
3. an election candidate with almost no hope of victory, whose presence on the ball
an election candidate with almost no hope of victory, whose presence on the ballot nevertheless draws enough support away from a front-runner to alter the outcome
Nadia ran as a spoiler candidate and took enough votes to tip the election.
collocation: spoiler candidate
The party knew its nominee was a spoiler but hoped to force a runoff.
Omar's campaign aimed to act as a spoiler by drawing votes away from the mayor.
Political analysts warned that the third-party spoiler could hand the election to the opposition.
Elena voted for the spoiler candidate as a protest against both main parties.
- third-party candidate
broader term; not all third-party candidates function as spoilers
- protest candidate
emphasises the voter's motivation rather than the electoral effect
用法筆記
Used mainly in electoral politics. The spoiler candidate's effect is measured not by their own votes but by how they shift the balance between the leading candidates.
4. a book, article, film, or programme rushed out to pull public attention away fro
a book, article, film, or programme rushed out to pull public attention away from a competitor's similar release
The studio released a spoiler documentary just days before the rival film opened.
collocation: spoiler documentary
Ingrid's publisher rushed out a spoiler biography the same week a rival book appeared.
Channel Four aired a spoiler interview to steal attention from the BBC's new drama.
The magazine's spoiler feature on the scandal appeared a day before the official report.
Diego called the rushed documentary a spoiler meant to undercut the festival's main film.
- rival release
a more neutral term without the aggressive connotation of spoiler
用法筆記
Common in media and publishing contexts. The spoiler is the competing product itself, not information about a product.