spill

/spɪl/

/spɪl/

Other forms: spilled; spilt; spilling; spills

When liquids spill, they accidentally flow or dribble out of a container. You can also spill solid objects, like when you slip and spill the contents of your backpack all over the sidewalk.

When you spill your hot chocolate, the spot it makes where it lands is a spill. The act of spilling it is a spill too: "Sorry about the spill, Grandma." You can take a spill yourself, like when you tumble to the ground from your bike. Spill also means "talk," especially in the context of "spill the beans" or "spill your guts," both basically meaning "tell the whole truth."

Definitions of spill

1. verb

   flow, run or fall out and become lost
   “The milk spilled across the floor”

   synonyms: run out

   slop, splatter

   cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a container

   types:

   brim over, overflow, overrun, run over, well over

   flow or run over (a limit or brim)

   geyser

   to overflow like a geyser

   type of:

   course, feed, flow, run

   move along, of liquids
2. verb

   cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a container
   “spill the milk”

   synonyms: slop, splatter

   disgorge, shed

   cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over

   run out

   flow, run or fall out and become lost

   type of:

   displace, move

   cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
3. verb

   cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over
   “spill the beans all over the table”

   synonyms: disgorge, shed

   slop, splatter

   cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a container

   types:

   seed

   go to seed; shed seeds

   reseed

   seed again or anew

   type of:

   displace, move

   cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
4. verb

   pour out in drops or small quantities or as if in drops or small quantities
   “spill blood”

   synonyms: pour forth, shed

   type of:

   pour

   cause to run
5. noun

   liquid that is spilled
   “clean up the spills”

   type of:

   liquid

   fluid matter having no fixed shape but a fixed volume
6. noun

   the act of allowing a fluid to escape
   synonyms: release, spillage

   type of:

   flow, stream

   the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression
7. noun

   a channel that carries excess water over or around a dam or other obstruction
   synonyms: spillway, wasteweir

   type of:

   conduit

   a passage (a pipe or tunnel) through which water or electric wires can pass
8. noun

   a sudden drop from an upright position
   “he had a nasty spill on the ice”

   synonyms: fall, tumble

   types:

   pratfall

   a fall onto your buttocks

   wipeout

   a spill in some sport (as a fall from a bicycle or while skiing or being capsized on a surfboard)

   type of:

   slip, trip

   an accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall
9. verb

   reveal information
   “The former employee spilled all the details”

   synonyms: talk

   babble, babble out, blab, blab out, let the cat out of the bag, peach, sing, spill the beans, talk, tattle

   divulge confidential information or secrets

   type of:

   tell

   let something be known
10. verb

    reduce the pressure of wind on (a sail)
    type of:

    bring down, cut, cut back, cut down, reduce, trim, trim back, trim down

    cut down on; make a reduction in