verb (used with object),spilled or spilt,spill·ing.
to cause or allow to run or fall from a container, especially accidentally or wastefully: to spill a bag of marbles; to spill milk.
to shed (blood), as in killing or wounding.
to scatter: to spill papers all over everything.
Nautical.
to let the wind out of (a sail).
to lose (wind) from a sail.
to cause to fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like: His horse spilled him.
Informal. to divulge, disclose, or tell: Don't spill the secret.
verb (used without object),spilled or spilt,spill·ing.
(of a liquid, loose particles, etc.) to run or escape from a container, especially by accident or in careless handling.
noun
a spilling, as of liquid.
a quantity spilled.
the mark made by something spilled.
a spillway.
Also called spill light[spil-lahyt] /ˈspɪl ˌlaɪt/ . superfluous or useless light rays, as from theatrical or photographic lighting units.
Theater. an area of a stage illuminated by spill light.
a throw or fall from a horse, vehicle, or the like: She broke her arm in a spill.
Idioms for spill
spill the beans. bean (def. 11).
spill / toss one's cookies. cookie (def. 8).
spill one's guts. Slang. gut (def. 14).
Origin of spill
1
First recorded before 950; 1920–25 for def. 6; Middle English spillen “to kill, destroy, shed (blood),” Old English spillan “to kill”; cognate with Middle High German, Middle Dutch spillen; akin to spoil
Safely store drinks in two cup holders built into the arm rest and—should any spills happen—you can easily clean up the faux leather surface.
Comfortable sofa beds for a peaceful night’s sleep|PopSci Commerce Team|September 11, 2020|Popular Science
These mighty, microfiber towels are capable of dissolving big spills, plus they retain their shape after multiple washes.
Dish towels to tackle almost any mess|PopSci Commerce Team|September 10, 2020|Popular Science
Since then, these microbes have been used to clean up oil spills and radioactive waste.
Will bacterial ‘wires’ one day power your phone?|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 2, 2020|Science News For Students
Three weeks ago, I was looking down into my husband’s unblinking eyes, seeing blood spill from his nose and mouth, and feeling my hand trying to stop the bleeding from the back of his head.
Anti-maskers assaulted my husband|Matt Foreman|September 1, 2020|Washington Blade
She says that after watching Pacific Gas and Electric cut corners and try to cover up spills and plumes, she’s started to notice negligence patterns, and there’s no national database for those toxic hot spots.
Erin Brockovich Is at It Again|Heather Hansman|August 27, 2020|Outside Online
A new paper outlines five steps required for a virus to ‘spill over’ from bats to humans.
Bats’ Link to Ebola Finally Solved|Carrie Arnold|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since the spill, the number of unemployed residents in Louisiana and Alabama has only increased.
Deepwater Horizon: Life Drowning in Oil|Samuel Fragoso|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bewildered adolescents, many of them accompanied by equally confused guardians, spill out into the hallway.
The Border Kid Crisis Hits the Courts|Caitlin Dickson|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nor is it the way the gunman manages not to spill a drop of the drink in his other hand as he commits all this savagery.
Bronx Gunman Shot His Friend, Didn’t Spill His Drink|Michael Daly|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Zaun, who was starting to look like the favorite, took the stage to cheers and vowed “I will spill my blood to save the unborn.”
The Bizarro World Of Iowa’s GOP Convention|Ben Jacobs|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Twenty-year thrills more readily than forty-year, just as forty-year is more reluctant to take a chance at a spill.
Down the Yellowstone|Lewis R. Freeman
He had taken a leaf of the raw tobacco and adding a pinch for filler was trying to twist the spill.
Where the Pavement Ends|John Russell
"It will last until bedtime," she announced, and lit it with a spill of paper.
The Doomsman|Van Tassel Sutphen
The cloth stained with blood, that we should not hesitate to spill ours for the good of Masonry.
The Mysteries of Free Masonry|William Morgan
He goes around holding one hand in the other as if he were afraid he'd spill it!
Quin|Alice Hegan Rice
British Dictionary definitions for spill (1 of 2)
spill1
/ (spɪl) /
verbspills, spilling, spiltorspilled(mainly tr)
(when intr, usually foll by from, out of, etc) to fall or cause to fall from or as from a container, esp unintentionally
to disgorge (contents, occupants, etc) or (of contents, occupants, etc) to be disgorgedthe car spilt its passengers onto the road; the crowd spilt out of the theatre
to shed (blood)
Also: spill the beansinformalto disclose something confidential
nauticalto let (wind) escape from a sail or (of the wind) to escape from a sail
noun
informala fall or tumble
short for spillway
a spilling of liquid, etc, or the amount spilt
Australianthe declaring of several political jobs vacant when one higher up becomes sothe Prime Minister's resignation could mean a Cabinet spill
Derived forms of spill
spiller, noun
Word Origin for spill
Old English spillan to destroy; related to spildan, Old High German spaltan to split; see spoil
British Dictionary definitions for spill (2 of 2)
spill2
/ (spɪl) /
noun
a splinter of wood or strip of twisted paper with which pipes, fires, etc, are lit
a small peg or rod made of metal
Word Origin for spill
C13: of Germanic origin; compare Old High German spilla, Middle Dutch spile stake