to spill

Examples

• All

• Katherine Paterson noted: "Where else in life can spilled milk be transformed into ice cream?"

  Academic text (1995)

• I thought I was going to spill something and make a big mess.

  Academic text (2000)

• Did someone just spill something?

  I Can't Breathe (God Forgive Them) (2022)

• Oh guys, we spilled all over the ground this time.

• So if they didn't spill a drop, then it's perfect, right?

• If you spill, it's a stain.

  Big Time Movie (2012)

• I spilled butter all over my clothes.

  Halloween (1978)

• As the system surcharges, the water level increases and begins to spill over the weir wall.

  Academic text (2011)

• Large populations of refugees and migrants have spilled across borders in all parts of the globe.

  Academic text (2008)

• I accidentally spilled coffee on the table while reaching for a napkin.

Synonyms

S

to shed

vsto spill

78 2.8

To let something fall or spill out by accident

is about actively causing loss by accident or carelessness

S

to splatter

vsto spill

51 4.1

To make liquid fall in small messy drops on a surface

focuses on larger accidental loss from a container not only scattered drops

S

to spatter

vsto spill

14 5.0

To splash small drops onto a surface and make spots

involves causing larger outflow from a container rather than just droplets

S

to slop

vsto spill

3 4.9

To spill or pour liquid in a messy way

is about causing a container to lose liquid accidentally rather than serving

S

to slosh around

vsto spill

3 5.9

To make liquid move and spill around inside a container

is accidental but does not always imply ongoing uncontrolled movement

S

to slush

vsto spill

6.0

To spill liquid in a heavy or clumsy way

involves accidental loss without necessarily heavy splashing

S

to slush around

vsto spill

• Informal

7.7

To splash liquid around and make a mess

is accidental but can be less copious and less messy

S

to splunge

vsto spill

9.9

To splash liquid messily so it covers nearby things

is accidental or careless rather than energetic or playful

Antonyms

C

to contain

∞ 1.1

To have something inside like a box or book

Idioms

S

to spill the beans

• Informal

18 6.0

Tell a secret by accident before others know

S

to spill one's guts

• Informal

5 8.1

To tell someone your private feelings or secrets openly

Phrasal Verbs

S

to spill out

26 3.6

Move out of a place suddenly in large numbers or fall out of a container and spread

S

to spill over

16 4.2

To move beyond the edge of a container or place

S

to spill coffee

9 1.3

Accidentally pour coffee so it makes a wet stain or mess

S

to spill over

3 5.3

To feel an emotion so strongly that you show it openly

S

to spill your drink

3 1.1

To let the drink in your cup or glass fall by accident

S

to spill ink

7.4

Write a lot, usually by hand with ink

Compounds

I

ink spill

2.1

A small accident when ink leaks onto paper or clothes

How Much

to flood

176 1.0

to pour out

22 2.9

to spill

347 1.0

to leak

212 1.0

to drip

171 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology