spoils
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
spoils pl (plural only)
- That which is taken from another by violence; especially, the plunder taken from an enemy; pillage; booty.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:
- Gentle gales, / Fanning their odoriferous wings, dispense / Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole / Those balmy spoils.
- Waste material left over in the course of excavation, construction, mining, or dredging operations.
- e.g., dredging spoils
- Public offices and their benefits regarded as the peculiar property of a successful party or faction, to be bestowed for its own advantage.
- To the victor belong the spoils.
SynonymsEdit
- (that which is taken from another by violence): See Thesaurus:booty
TranslationsEdit
that which is taken from another by violence
public offices and their benefits regarded as the peculiar property of a successful party or faction.
See alsoEdit
VerbEdit
spoils
- Third-person singular simple present indicative form of spoil
- Milk spoils when left out too long.