Spoiling

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Spoil \Spoil\ (spoil), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spoiled} (spoild) or
     {Spoilt} (spoilt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Spoiling}.] [F. spolier,
     OF. espoillier, fr. L. spoliare, fr. spolium spoil. Cf.
     {Despoil}, {Spoliation}.]
     1. To plunder; to strip by violence; to pillage; to rob; --
        with of before the name of the thing taken; as, to spoil


        one of his goods or possessions. "Ye shall spoil the
        Egyptians." --Ex. iii. 22.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              My sons their old, unhappy sire despise,
              Spoiled of his kingdom, and deprived of eyes.
                                                    --Pope.
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     2. To seize by violence; to take by force; to plunder.
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              No man can enter into a strong man's house, and
              spoil his goods, except he will first bind the
              strong man.                           --Mark iii.
                                                    27.
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     3. To cause to decay and perish; to corrupt; to vitiate; to
        mar.
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              Spiritual pride spoils many graces.   --Jer. Taylor.
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     4. To render useless by injury; to injure fatally; to ruin;
        to destroy; as, to spoil paper; to have the crops spoiled
        by insects; to spoil the eyes by reading.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  spoiling
       n 1: the process of becoming spoiled [syn: {spoilage}]
       2: the act of spoiling something by causing damage to it; "her
          spoiling my dress was deliberate" [syn: {spoil}, {spoilage}]