spill

spill
1 past tense and past participle spilt, especially BrE spilled especially AmE verb
1 (I, T) if you spill a liquid or if it spills, it accidentally flows over the edge of a container: spill sth down/on/over: Oh no! I've spilt coffee all down my shirt!
(+ on/over): He slipped and the wine spilled all over the carpet.
2 (intransitive always + adv/prep) if people spill out of somewhere, they move out in large groups
(+ out/into/onto etc): Crowds from the theatre were spilling onto the street.
3 spill the beans informal to tell something that someone else wanted you to keep a secret
4 spill your guts AmE to tell someone everything you know about something, especially because you are upset: some drunk spilling his guts to me at the bar
5 spill blood literary to kill or wound people
—see also: cry over spilt milk cry 1 (5) spill over phrasal verb (I) if a problem or bad situation spills over, it spreads and begins to affect other places, people etc (+ into): There is a danger that the conflict will spill over into neighbouring towns. 2 noun
1 (C, U) an act of spilling something or an amount of something that is spilled: oil spill: The oil spill in Alaska threatens ecological catastrophe.
2 (C) a piece of wood or twisted paper for lighting lamps, fires etc
3 (C) old-fashioned a fall from a horse, bicycle etc

Longman dictionary of contemporary English. 2004.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Spill — Spill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spilled}, or {Spilt}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Spilling}.] [OE. spillen,sually, to destroy, AS. spillan, spildan, to destroy; akin to Icel. spilla to destroy, Sw. spilla to spill, Dan. spilde, G. & D. spillen to squander, OHG …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Spill — may refer to:* Spill (UK band), a dance duo * Daniel Spill (1832–1887), English entrepreneur * Oil spill * Data spill * Leadership spill …   Wikipedia

  • spill — Ⅰ. spill [1] ► VERB (past and past part. spilt or spilled) 1) flow or cause to flow over the edge of a container. 2) move or empty out from a place. 3) informal reveal (confidential information). ► NOUN …   English terms dictionary

  • spill — spill; spill·able; spill·age; spill·flö·te; spill·ing; …   English syllables

  • Spill — Spill, v. i. 1. To be destroyed, ruined, or wasted; to come to ruin; to perish; to waste. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] That thou wilt suffer innocents to spill. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] 2. To be shed; to run over; to fall out, and be lost or wasted. He… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spill — ‘let fall’ [OE] and spill ‘thin piece of wood’ are distinct words. The former originally meant ‘destroy, kill’; the modern sense ‘allow liquid to pour out or fall’, which did not emerge until the 14th century, arose as a rather grisly metaphor… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • spill — ‘let fall’ [OE] and spill ‘thin piece of wood’ are distinct words. The former originally meant ‘destroy, kill’; the modern sense ‘allow liquid to pour out or fall’, which did not emerge until the 14th century, arose as a rather grisly metaphor… …   Word origins

  • Spill — Spill, n. [[root]170. Cf. {Spell} a splinter.] 1. A bit of wood split off; a splinter. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster] 2. A slender piece of anything. Specifically: [1913 Webster] (a) A peg or pin for plugging a hole, as in a cask; a spile.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • spill — [v1] slop, drop discharge, disgorge, dribble, drip, empty, flow, lose, overfill, overflow, overrun, overturn, pour, run, run out, run over, scatter, shed, spill over, splash, splatter, spray, sprinkle, spurt, squirt, stream, throw off, upset,… …   New thesaurus

  • spill — spill1 [spil] vt. spilled or spilt, spilling [ME spillen < OE spillan, to destroy, squander, akin to MHG spillen, to split < IE base * (s)p(h)el , to split, split off > SPALL, L spolium] 1. to allow or cause, esp. unintentionally or… …   English World dictionary

  • Spill — Spill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spilt}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Spilling}.] To cover or decorate with slender pieces of wood, metal, ivory, etc.; to inlay. [Obs.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”