The difference between Destroy and Spoil
When used as verbs, destroy means to damage beyond use or repair, whereas spoil means to strip (someone who has been killed or defeated) of their arms or armour.
Spoil is also noun with the meaning: (also in plural: spoils) plunder taken from an enemy or victim.
check bellow for the other definitions of Destroy and Spoil
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Destroy as a verb (transitive):
To damage beyond use or repair.
Examples:
"The earthquake destroyed several apartment complexes."
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Destroy as a verb (intransitive):
To cause destruction.
Examples:
"Hooligans destroy unprovoked."
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Destroy as a verb (transitive):
To neutralize, undo a property or condition.
Examples:
"Smoking destroys the natural subtlety of the palate."
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Destroy as a verb (transitive):
To put down or euthanize.
Examples:
"'Destroying a rabid dog is required by law."
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Destroy as a verb (transitive):
To severely disrupt the well-being of (a person); ruin.
Examples:
"Her divorce destroyed her; she had a nervous breakdown and was severely depressed for more than a year."
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Destroy as a verb (colloquial, transitive):
To defeat soundly.
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Destroy as a verb (computing, transitive):
To remove data.
Examples:
"The memory leak happened because we forgot to destroy the temporary lists."
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Destroy as a verb (US, colloquial, slang):
To sing a song poorly.
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Spoil as a verb (transitive, archaic):
To strip (someone who has been killed or defeated) of their arms or armour.
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Spoil as a verb (transitive, archaic):
To strip or deprive (someone) of their possessions; to rob, despoil.
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Spoil as a verb (ambitransitive, archaic):
To plunder, pillage (a city, country etc.).
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Spoil as a verb (transitive, obsolete):
To carry off (goods) by force; to steal.
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Spoil as a verb (transitive):
To ruin; to damage (something) in some way making it unfit for use.
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Spoil as a verb (transitive):
To ruin the character of, by overindulgence; to coddle or pamper to excess.
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Spoil as a verb (intransitive):
Of food, to become bad, sour or rancid; to decay.
Examples:
"Make sure you put the milk back in the fridge, otherwise it will spoil."
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Spoil as a verb (transitive):
To render (a ballot paper) invalid by deliberately defacing it.
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Spoil as a verb (transitive):
To reveal the ending of (a story etc.); to ruin (a surprise) by exposing it ahead of time.
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Spoil as a noun:
(Also in plural: spoils) Plunder taken from an enemy or victim.
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Spoil as a noun (uncountable):
Material (such as rock or earth) removed in the course of an excavation, or in mining or dredging. Tailings.