spoils
spoils — 動詞
1. To damage something so badly that it is no longer enjoyable, attractive, or usef
破壞；糟蹋
使某物失去樂趣或價值
To damage something so badly that it is no longer enjoyable, attractive, or useful.
The sudden storm spoiled the outdoor wedding ceremony that Wei had planned for months.
突如其來的暴風雨破壞了 Wei 籌劃數月的戶外婚禮。
collocation: storm spoils event
Adding too much salt can spoil the flavour of an entire soup.
鹽加太多會破壞整鍋湯的味道。
The loud music from the apartment next door spoiled my concentration during the history exam.
隔壁傳來的吵鬧音樂破壞了我準備歷史考試的專注力。
A single rude comment spoiled the friendly atmosphere at the dinner party.
一句無禮的評論破壞了晚宴上友好的氣氛。
用法筆記
Common when an otherwise good situation or thing is made worse by a single negative element.
常見錯誤
2. When food spoils, it becomes unfit to eat because of age, heat, or bacteria.
變質；腐壞
食物因腐敗而無法食用
When food spoils, it becomes unfit to eat because of age, heat, or bacteria.
If you leave the milk out of the fridge on a hot day, it will spoil within a few hours.
大熱天裡如果你不把牛奶放回冰箱，幾小時內就會變質。
conditional: if + present, will spoil
Nadia noticed the fruit had spoiled because of the strange smell coming from the bowl.
Nadia 聞到碗裡傳來怪味，才發現水果已經腐壞了。
The meat spoiled after the power cut lasted three days and the freezer stopped working.
停電持續了三天，冰箱停止運轉，肉都腐壞了。
Yuki checked the date on the yoghurt to make sure it had not spoiled before eating it.
Yuki 在吃優格前先檢查了上面的日期，確認沒有變質。
- stay fresh
remain in good condition for eating
用法筆記
When used transitively ('The heat spoiled the meat'), it means something caused the food to go bad. The intransitive form describes the natural process of decay.
常見錯誤
3. To treat someone very well and give them everything they want, often more than i
寵愛；款待
對某人極好或過度慷慨
To treat someone very well and give them everything they want, often more than is necessary.
Every Sunday, Diego spoiled his grandmother with homemade pastries and fresh flowers.
每個星期日，Diego 都會用自製糕點和鮮花來寵愛他的祖母。
pattern: spoil someone with [gifts/attention]
The luxury hotel spoiled its guests with complimentary spa treatments and fine dining.
這間豪華飯店以免費的水療服務和高級餐飲款待房客。
Sofia felt awkward when her boyfriend's parents spoiled her with expensive gifts during her visit.
Sofia 去男友家拜訪時，男友的父母送她昂貴禮物，讓她覺得很不好意思。
The tour guide spoiled the group by arranging private access to the museum after closing hours.
導遊為團員安排了打烊後的博物館專屬參觀，讓大家備感尊寵。
用法筆記
Unlike the negative OVERINDULGE CHILD sense (4), this sense can be positive or neutral — it describes generous treatment, not necessarily a bad habit. Context determines the tone.
常見錯誤
4. To give a child everything they ask for, which often results in them becoming de
寵壞
過度滿足孩子使其變得任性
To give a child everything they ask for, which often results in them becoming demanding or ungrateful.
Amina refused to spoil her son by buying him every toy he pointed at in the shop.
Amina 拒絕讓兒子予取予求，不買他在店裡指著的每一個玩具。
pattern: spoil a child by + gerund
Child experts say that parents who spoil their children often struggle to set clear boundaries later on.
兒童專家表示，寵壞小孩的父母之後往往很難設立明確的界線。
The neighbour's kids are so spoiled that they throw tantrums whenever they do not get what they want.
鄰居的孩子被寵壞了，只要沒得到想要的東西就會大發脾氣。
Ananya decided not to spoil her daughter, so she made her earn her pocket money by doing chores.
Ananya 決定不寵壞女兒，所以要她做家事來賺取零用錢。
- overindulge
more formal, focuses on giving too much
- coddle
suggests excessive protection, not just giving things
- discipline
to teach rules and good behaviour
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3 (PAMPER), which can be positive. This sense always carries a negative judgement about the child's character or behaviour.
常見錯誤
5. To mark a voting paper incorrectly or in an unofficial way so that it cannot be
作廢選票
錯誤填寫選票使其無法計票
To mark a voting paper incorrectly or in an unofficial way so that it cannot be counted.
Fatima accidentally spoiled her ballot by ticking two boxes instead of one.
Fatima 不小心在選票上畫了兩個格子，導致選票作廢。
verb: spoil a ballot / spoil your vote
More than three percent of the votes were spoiled because voters did not follow the instructions.
超過百分之三的選票因為選民沒有按照說明填寫而被作廢。
passive: votes were spoiled
Election officials set aside all the spoiled ballots for a separate count.
選務人員把所有作廢的選票另外放在一起，準備進行清點。
- invalidate
more formal, used in official contexts
- cast a valid vote
to vote in a way that will be counted correctly
用法筆記
A spoiled ballot is different from a blank ballot — a blank ballot is left empty on purpose, while a spoiled one was filled in wrongly.
6. To take valuable things from a place by force, especially during a war or armed
掠奪；洗劫
以武力奪取珍貴財物
To take valuable things from a place by force, especially during a war or armed conflict.
The ancient temple was spoiled by invaders who stole its gold statues and sacred objects.
這座古廟遭到入侵者掠奪，金像和聖物被洗劫一空。
passive: temple was spoiled by invaders
Historical records describe how the army spoiled every village along the river during the campaign.
歷史記載描述了軍隊在征戰期間如何洗劫了河邊的每一個村莊。
The museum's artefacts were spoiled by looters during the chaos of the revolution.
博物館的文物在革命期間的混亂中被掠奪者洗劫一空。
用法筆記
An older, more literary sense. In modern English, 'plunder' or 'loot' is more common for the same meaning.
7. To be extremely eager to fight, argue, or compete with someone.
渴望衝突
極想打架或爭吵
To be extremely eager to fight, argue, or compete with someone.
After weeks of quiet negotiations, the team leader was clearly spoiling for a debate.
經過幾週平靜的協商後，團隊領導顯然在渴望一場辯論。
fixed phrase: be spoiling for + noun
Kwame walked into the room with an angry look, and everyone could see he was spoiling for a fight.
Kwame 氣沖沖地走進房間，每個人都看得出來他正想找人打架。
The older boy had been spoiling for an argument ever since their disagreement last week.
從上週爭執之後，那個年紀較大的男孩就一直想找機會吵架。
- eager for
more neutral, can be used in many contexts
- looking for
informal, common in everyday speech
用法筆記
Only used in the continuous form 'be spoiling for'. It always takes a noun phrase like 'a fight', 'a quarrel', or 'an argument'.
常見錯誤
spoils — 名詞
1. Earth, stones, or other material that is dug out from a hole, tunnel, or mine du
挖出土石
挖掘出的泥土和石塊
Earth, stones, or other material that is dug out from a hole, tunnel, or mine during construction or excavation.
The construction crew piled the spoils from the tunnel at the edge of the building site.
建築工人把從隧道挖出來的土石堆在工地的邊緣。
collocation: spoils from [location]
Trucks removed the spoils from the mining operation and dumped them in a nearby valley.
卡車將礦場的廢土運走，傾倒在附近的山谷裡。
The garden was built on top of the spoils left behind by the excavation of the basement.
這座花園是蓋在地下室開挖所留下的廢土堆上。
- excavated material
more formal and technical
- debris
general term for broken or waste material
- rubble
broken stones and bricks, often from demolished buildings
用法筆記
Almost always used in plural form. In singular, 'spoil' can refer to the material in a general sense, but 'spoils' is far more common.
2. The money, benefits, or advantages that someone gets from a successful situation
利益；成果
因成功或地位獲得的好處
The money, benefits, or advantages that someone gets from a successful situation or position.
The winning team enjoyed the spoils of victory, including a large trophy and a cash prize.
獲勝隊伍享受了勝利的果實，包括一座大獎盃和一筆現金獎金。
fixed phrase: the spoils of victory
After years of hard work, the inventors finally began to collect the spoils of their success.
多年的努力之後，發明家們終於開始收穫成功的果實。
The politician was accused of enjoying the spoils of office at the expense of ordinary taxpayers.
這位政治人物被指控以納稅人的錢來享受官位帶來的好處。
Elena shared the spoils of her family's restaurant business equally with her two brothers.
Elena 把家族餐廳事業的收益平均分給她的兩個兄弟。
- losses
money or advantages that are lost
用法筆記
Often appears in the fixed pattern 'the spoils of + noun' (e.g. spoils of victory, spoils of success, spoils of office).
常見錯誤
3. Valuable items taken by force, especially from a defeated enemy in a war or from
戰利品
戰爭中奪取的貴重財物
Valuable items taken by force, especially from a defeated enemy in a war or from a place that has been attacked.
The soldiers divided the spoils of war among themselves after the battle ended.
戰鬥結束後，士兵們在彼此之間瓜分了戰利品。
fixed phrase: the spoils of war
Museums around the world still argue about who rightfully owns the spoils taken during colonial wars.
世界各地的博物館至今仍在爭論殖民戰爭期間掠奪而來的戰利品應該歸誰所有。
The ancient king displayed the spoils from his conquests in the great hall of his palace.
古代國王將征戰所得的戰利品陳列在宮殿的大廳裡。
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (PROFITS GAINED): this sense specifically involves theft or seizure by force, while sense 2 refers to legitimate benefits from effort or position.
4. The damage or harm caused to something, or the process of causing that damage.
損害；破壞
對某物造成的損傷
The damage or harm caused to something, or the process of causing that damage.
The environmental report warned about the spoils caused by decades of unchecked industrial pollution.
環境報告警告了數十年不受管制的工業污染所帶來的破壞。
uncountable noun: the spoils caused by [agent]
Historians documented the spoils inflicted on the ancient city by years of war and neglect.
歷史學家記錄了這座古城因多年戰爭與忽視所遭受的損害。
The spoils of the flood took months of hard work to repair.
洪水造成的損害花了幾個月的辛苦工作才修復。
- damage
more common in everyday language
- harm
general term for negative effects
- destruction
stronger — suggests something is completely ruined
- preservation
keeping something in its original good condition
用法筆記
Quite rare in modern English. The verb form 'spoil' (sense 1, RUIN) is far more common for expressing the idea of damage.
spoils — 慣用語
1. The benefits, profits, or advantages that come to someone as a result of their p
好處；利益
因地位或成功而得的好處
The benefits, profits, or advantages that come to someone as a result of their position, success, or a particular situation.
To the victor belong the spoils — that has always been the unwritten rule in this competitive industry.
勝利者拿走所有好處——在這個競爭激烈的行業裡，這一直是個不成文的規則。
proverb: to the victor belong the spoils
After the company merger, the executives divided the spoils among themselves while the workers got nothing.
公司合併之後，高層主管瓜分了利益，而基層員工一無所得。
The volunteers did most of the work, but the managers took all the spoils and the credit.
志工們做了大部分的工作，但主管拿走了所有的好處和功勞。
- the rewards
more neutral, can be deserved or not
- the perks
informal, suggests extra advantages beyond salary
- the costs
what someone has to give up or suffer
用法筆記
Almost always appears with the definite article 'the'. Often carries a slightly cynical tone — suggesting that someone enjoys benefits they may not deserve.