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spill
1[ spil ]
verb (used with object)
- 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)
- (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]. 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.
spill
2[ spil ]
noun
- a splinter.
- a slender piece of wood or of twisted paper, for lighting candles, lamps, etc.
- a peg made of metal.
- a small pin for stopping a cask; spile.
- Mining. forepole.
spill
1/ ɪ /
verb
- whenintr, 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 disgorged
the car spilt its passengers onto the road
the crowd spilt out of the theatre
- to shed (blood)
- informal.Alsospill the beans to disclose something confidential
- nautical to let (wind) escape from a sail or (of the wind) to escape from a sail
noun
- informal.a fall or tumble
- short for spillway
- a spilling of liquid, etc, or the amount spilt
- the declaring of several political jobs vacant when one higher up becomes so
the Prime Minister's resignation could mean a Cabinet spill
spill
2/ ɪ /
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
Derived Forms
- ˈ辱, noun
Other 51Թ Forms
- 辱·· adjective noun
- non·辱·· adjective
- ܲ·辱 adjective
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of spill1
Origin of spill2
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of spill1
Origin of spill2
Idioms and Phrases
- spill one's guts. Slang. gut ( def 14 ).
- spill the beans. bean ( def 11 ).
- spill / toss one's cookies. cookie ( def 8 ).
More idioms and phrases containing spill
In addition to the idiom beginning with spill , also see shed (spill) blood ; take a spill .Example Sentences
In the past three years, outbreaks of bird flu, formally called highly pathogenic avian influenza, in wild animals spilled over to dairy cows and poultry, infecting several dozen humans and even killing one American.
Feelings behind the scenes that UK Labour does not get the fight that the party in Wales will face at the ballot box are starting to spill over.
“This mismatch in hydrology and supplies requires immediate attention and science-based action to retain environmental protections while also increasing stored supplies when reservoirs are spilling.”
Then, in the summer of 1991, a catastrophic train derailment just north of town spilled nearly 20,000 gallons of a highly toxic herbicide into the Sacramento River.
Bosses who fail to co-operate or obstruct investigators looking into sewage spills can now be jailed for up to two years.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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