spill

spill — verb

1. to accidentally let a liquid or small loose items flow out of a container, often

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to accidentally let a liquid or small loose items flow out of a container, often wasting them or creating a mess

Example

Esme tripped over the rug and spilled orange juice all over the kitchen floor.

transitive: spill + noun (the liquid that falls)

The bag of rice split open, and the grains spilled across the supermarket aisle.

intransitive: the substance spills

Common collocations
  • spill coffee/tea/milk/water/oil
  • spill beans/rice/sugar
  • spill on the floor/table/carpet
  • spill down your shirt
Synonyms
  • tip over

    less formal; focuses on the container falling, less common for the liquid itself

  • knock over

    implies bumping into the container and causing it to fall

  • slosh

    describes liquid moving noisily from side to side, not necessarily out of the container

Antonyms
  • contain

    to hold something in, preventing escape

Grammar Patterns

spill + noun (transitive)

noun + spills / spilt (intransitive)

Usage Note

Past tense has two accepted forms: spilt (common in British English) and spilled (common in American English). Both are correct. The intransitive use describes the substance moving accidentally; the transitive use describes what someone causes to happen.

Common Mistakes

I spilled water on floor.
I spilled water on the floor.
Use 'the' before 'floor' because it refers to a specific surface.
The glass spilt and broke.
The glass fell and broke, and the water spilled everywhere.
A glass does not 'spill'; the liquid inside it does.

2. to tell secret or private information that was supposed to remain hidden, often

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to tell secret or private information that was supposed to remain hidden, often by accident or because you cannot keep it to yourself

Example

Amelia accidentally spilled her sister's wedding plans while talking on the phone with their mother.

transitive: spill + noun (secret information)

Eli refused to spill the details of the meeting, even when his classmates begged him.

spill + details (common collocation)

Common collocations
  • spill a secret
  • spill the details
  • spill everything
  • spill to the press/police
  • spill your guts
Synonyms
  • divulge

    more formal; suggests intentional sharing of sensitive information

  • blab

    very informal; suggests careless or childish talk

  • confess

    implies admitting something wrong or hidden, often under pressure

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

spill + secret/information/details

spill + to + person

Usage Note

Always informal. Often used when someone reveals something they promised not to share. The object is typically the secret itself or details about it. 'Spill it!' is a common casual command meaning 'tell me the secret.'

Common Mistakes

She spilt the beans about the party.
She spilled the beans about the surprise party.
'Spill the beans' is a fixed idiom; use 'spill' (not 'spilt') in this expression in both BrE and AmE styles.
I spilled my feeling to her.
I spilled my feelings to her.
Use plural 'feelings' for this informal meaning.
Phrasal verbs

spill over

phrasal verb

to spread out from one area into another, so that more people or things become involved or affected than originally intended

The argument between the two neighbours spilled over into the street and attracted a crowd.

The economic crisis in Japan spilled over and began to affect markets across Southeast Asia.

spill out

phrasal verb

for people, things, or information to come out of a place in large numbers or great volume

When the final bell rang, students spilled out of the classrooms into the courtyard.

All her frustrations spilled out in a long, tearful letter to her parents.

Idioms

spill the beans

idiom

to reveal secret information, usually by accident or carelessly, before the right time

Tariq trusted his brother not to spill the beans about the surprise holiday trip.

The party was meant to be a secret, but someone spilled the beans on social media.

spill your guts (to somebody)

idiom

to tell someone every detail of your personal thoughts, problems, or feelings, especially when you are very upset

After the breakup, Hana spent the whole evening spilling her guts to her roommate.

Lotte never spills her guts about her career doubts, even to her closest friends.

cry over spilt / spilled milk

idiom

to waste time and energy being upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed

The contract is lost now, so there is no point crying over spilt milk.

Manuela knows she should stop crying over spilled milk and focus on the next project.

cry over spilt milk

idiom

To be upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed.

Maya spilled coffee on her dress, but she didn't cry over spilt milk.

Why are you crying over spilt milk? The game is already lost.

spill the beans/tea

idiom

To reveal secret or private information to someone.

Diego accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.

Sara promised not to spill the tea on her friend's new job.

spill (somebody’s) blood

idiom

To injure or kill a person, often violently.

The soldiers were ordered not to spill any civilian blood.

In the legend, the hero swore never to spill innocent blood.

spill — noun

Word family

  • spilt
    verb (past tense / p.p.)B1
  • spilled
    verb (past tense / p.p.)B1
  • spillage
    nounC1
  • spillover
    nounC1
  • spillway
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Spill, tip over, knock over, and slosh all describe liquids or containers moving in an unintended way, but they differ in focus. Spill is the broadest word — it describes liquid or small items leaving a container by accident, whether or not the container itself moved. Tip over focuses on the container falling sideways: 'A child tipped over the vase, and water spilled across the table.' Knock over implies that something or someone bumped into the container, causing it to fall: 'The dog's tail knocked over the glass.' Slosh is more specific and less common — it describes liquid moving noisily from side to side inside a container, often creating a mess without necessarily leaving the container: 'Water sloshed over the sides of the bucket as Eric carried it across the yard.' For everyday accidents involving drinks or food, spill is the most natural choice.

spill ↗tip overknock over ↗slosh

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • spill the details
  • spill your guts
  • spill blood
  • spill over into
  • spill out of

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

Spill comes from Old English spillan, which originally meant 'to destroy, kill, or ruin.' In medieval English, the meaning broadened to 'to waste or shed (blood, liquid),' and by the 1600s it had softened into the modern sense of 'accidentally causing liquid to fall from a container.' The metaphorical use 'to reveal a secret' appeared in the 1900s, probably evolving from the idiom 'spill the beans.' Related words exist in other Germanic languages: Old High German spildan ('to waste') and Old Norse spilla ('to destroy').