4 VERB If food spoils or if it is spoilt , it is no longer fit to be eaten. □ [V ] We all know that fats spoil by becoming rancid. □ [V n] Some organisms are responsible for spoiling food and cause food poisoning.
5 VERB If someone spoils their vote, they write something illegal on their voting paper, usually as a protest about the election, and their vote is not accepted. [BRIT ] □ [V n] They had broadcast calls for voters to spoil their ballot papers.
6 N‑PLURAL The spoils of something are things that people get as a result of winning a battle or of doing something successfully. □ True to military tradition, the victors are now treating themselves to the spoils of war.
7 PHRASE If you say that someone is spoilt for choice or spoiled for choice , you mean that they have a great many things of the same type to choose from. □ At lunchtime, MPs are spoilt for choice in 26 restaurants and bars.
▸ spoil for PHRASAL VERB [only cont] If you are spoiling for a fight, you are very eager for it to happen. □ [V P n] A mob armed with guns was at the border between the two republics, spoiling for a fight.
spoil|age /spɔ I l I dʒ/ N‑UNCOUNT When spoilage occurs, something, usually food, decays or is harmed, so that it is no longer fit to be used. [TECHNICAL ]
spoil|er /spɔ I lə r / (spoilers )
1 N‑COUNT If you describe someone or something as a spoiler , you mean that they try to spoil the performance of other people or things. □ I was a talentless spoiler. If I couldn't be good, why should they?
2 N‑COUNT A spoiler is an object which forms part of an aircraft's wings or part of the body of a car. It changes the flow of air around the vehicle, allowing an aircraft to change direction or making a car's forward movement more efficient.
spoil|sport /spɔ I lspɔː r t/ (spoilsports ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a spoilsport , you mean that they are behaving in a way that ruins other people's pleasure or enjoyment. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
spoilt /spɔ I lt/ Spoilt is a past participle and past tense of spoil .
spoke /spoʊ k/ (spokes )
1 Spoke is the past tense of speak .
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.
spo|ken /spoʊ kən/ Spoken is the past participle of speak .
-spoken /-spoʊ kən/ COMB -spoken combines with adverbs and adjectives to form adjectives which indicate how someone speaks. □ The woman was smartly dressed and well-spoken. □ …a soft-spoken man in his early thirties.
spo |ken wo rd N‑SING The spoken word is used to refer to language expressed in speech, for example in contrast to written texts or music. □ The spoken word has more impact than the written word.
spokes|man ◆◇◇ /spoʊ ksmən/ (spokesmen ) N‑COUNT A spokesman is a male spokesperson. □ A U.N. spokesman said that the mission will carry 20 tons of relief supplies.
spokes|person ◆◇◇ /spoʊ kspɜː r s ə n/ (spokespersons or spokespeople ) N‑COUNT A spokesperson is a person who speaks as the representative of a group or organization. □ A spokesperson for Amnesty, Norma Johnston, describes some cases.
spokes|woman ◆◇◇ /spoʊ kswʊmən/ (spokeswomen ) N‑COUNT A spokeswoman is a female spokesperson. □ A United Nations spokeswoman in New York said the request would be considered.
sponge /spʌ ndʒ/ (sponges , sponging , sponged )
1 N‑COUNT Sponge is a very light soft substance with lots of little holes in it, which can be either artificial or natural. It is used to clean things or as a soft layer. □ …a sponge mattress.
2 N‑COUNT A sponge is a sea animal with a soft round body made of natural sponge.
3 N‑COUNT A sponge is a piece of sponge that you use for washing yourself or for cleaning things. □ He wiped off the table with a sponge.
4 VERB If you sponge something, you clean it by wiping it with a wet sponge. □ [V n] Fill a bowl with water and gently sponge your face and body. ● PHRASAL VERB Sponge down means the same as sponge . □ [V n P ] If your child's temperature rises, sponge her down gently with tepid water. [Also V P n (not pron)]
5 N‑VAR A sponge is a light cake or pudding made from flour, eggs, sugar, and sometimes fat. □ It makes a superb filling for cakes and sponges.
6 VERB If you say that someone sponges off other people or sponges on them, you mean that they regularly get money from other people when they should be trying to support themselves. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V + off ] He should just get an honest job and stop sponging off the rest of us! □ [V + on ] He spent his life grumbling about missed opportunities and sponging on his father for money.
sponge|bag /spʌ ndʒbæg/ (spongebags ) also sponge bag N‑COUNT A spongebag is a small bag in which you keep things such as soap and a toothbrush when you are travelling. [BRIT ]
spo nge cake (sponge cakes ) N‑VAR A sponge cake is a very light cake made from flour, eggs, and sometimes fat.
spong|er /spʌ ndʒə r / (spongers ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a sponger , you mean that they sponge off other people or organizations. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
spon|gy /spʌ ndʒi/ ADJ Something that is spongy is soft and can be pressed in, like a sponge. □ The earth was spongy from rain.
spon|sor ◆◇◇ /spɒ nsə r / (sponsors , sponsoring , sponsored )