The difference between Ruin and Spoil

When used as nouns, ruin means the remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle, whereas spoil means (also in plural: spoils) plunder taken from an enemy or victim.

When used as verbs, ruin means to cause the fiscal ruin of, whereas spoil means to strip (someone who has been killed or defeated) of their arms or armour.

check bellow for the other definitions of Ruin and Spoil

  1. Ruin as a noun (countable, sometimes, in the plural):

    The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.

  2. Ruin as a noun (uncountable):

    The state of being a ruin, destroyed or decayed.

    Examples:

    "The monastery has fallen into ruin."

  3. Ruin as a noun (uncountable):

    Something that leads to serious trouble or destruction.

    Examples:

    "Gambling has been the ruin of many."

  4. Ruin as a noun (obsolete):

    A fall or tumble.

  5. Ruin as a noun:

    A change that destroys or defeats something; destruction; overthrow.

    Examples:

    "the ruin of a ship or an army;  nowrap the ruin of a constitution or a government;  nowrap the ruin of health or hopes"

  6. Ruin as a noun (uncountable):

    Complete financial loss; bankruptcy.

  1. Ruin as a verb (transitive):

    to cause the fiscal ruin of.

    Examples:

    "With all these purchases, you surely mean to ruin us!"

  2. Ruin as a verb:

    To destroy or make something no longer usable.

    Examples:

    "He ruined his new white slacks by accidentally spilling oil on them."

  3. Ruin as a verb:

    To cause severe financial loss to; to bankrupt or drive out of business.

    Examples:

    "The crooked stockbroker's fraudulent scheme ruined dozens of victims; some investors lost their life savings and even their houses."

  4. Ruin as a verb:

    To upset or overturn the plans or progress of, or to put into disarray; to spoil.

    Examples:

    "My car breaking down just as I was on the road ruined my vacation."

  5. Ruin as a verb:

    To reveal the ending of (a story); to spoil.

  6. Ruin as a verb (obsolete):

    To fall into a state of destruction.

  1. Spoil as a verb (transitive, archaic):

    To strip (someone who has been killed or defeated) of their arms or armour.

  2. Spoil as a verb (transitive, archaic):

    To strip or deprive (someone) of their possessions; to rob, despoil.

  3. Spoil as a verb (ambitransitive, archaic):

    To plunder, pillage (a city, country etc.).

  4. Spoil as a verb (transitive, obsolete):

    To carry off (goods) by force; to steal.

  5. Spoil as a verb (transitive):

    To ruin; to damage (something) in some way making it unfit for use.

  6. Spoil as a verb (transitive):

    To ruin the character of, by overindulgence; to coddle or pamper to excess.

  7. 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."

  8. Spoil as a verb (transitive):

    To render (a ballot paper) invalid by deliberately defacing it.

  9. Spoil as a verb (transitive):

    To reveal the ending of (a story etc.); to ruin (a surprise) by exposing it ahead of time.

  1. Spoil as a noun:

    (Also in plural: spoils) Plunder taken from an enemy or victim.

  2. Spoil as a noun (uncountable):

    Material (such as rock or earth) removed in the course of an excavation, or in mining or dredging. Tailings.

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