spoiler

See also: Spoiler

English

WOTD – 20 November 2013, 20 November 2014

aircraft wing with deployed spoiler (4)

spoiler (5) on a car

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin spolium

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin spoliāre

Old French espoillierbor.

Middle English spoilen

English spoil

Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.

Proto-Italic *-āsjos

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

English -er

English spoiler

From spoil + -er.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈspɔɪ.lə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈspɔɪ.lɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɔɪlə(ɹ)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

spoiler (plural spoilers)

1. One who spoils; a plunderer; a pillager; a robber; a despoiler.
2. One who corrupts, mars, or renders useless.
3. A document, review or comment that discloses the ending or some key surprise or twist in a story, or the internal rules controlling the behaviour of a video game, etc. [from 1970s]

   Good netiquette dictates that one warn of spoilers before discussing them, so that readers who wish to do so may experience the surprises for themselves.

   • 2015 December 16, Ben Child, “Rogue Star Wars fans threaten to ruin The Force Awakens via 'spoiler jihad'”, in The Guardian‎^[1], archived from the original on 17 September 2021:

     Devotees of ‘expanded universe’ books say they will publish spoilers of latest film online unless Disney studio agrees to film their favourite stories

   • 2018 February 14, Jenna Wortham, “Letter of Recommendation: Spoilers”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN, archived from the original on 9 December 2020:

     TV shows and movies are a rare form of atemporality, and in an ever-changing, always-on world, spoilers feel irrefutable — sheer access to them gives the illusion of control.

4. (aeronautics) A device to reduce lift and increase drag.
5. (automotive) A device to reduce lift and increase downforce.
6. (US, chiefly politics, sports) A competitor, unable to win themselves, who spoils the chances of another’s victory.
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 713:

     The optimism at the opening of the talks could not be dampened even by a few spoilers.

   • 2020 November 8, Victoria Bekiempis, “Was Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen a 'spoiler' for Trump?”, in The Guardian‎^[3], archived from the original on 1 March 2021:

     Several experts do not believe Jorgensen was a Trump “spoiler” in 2020.

   • 2020 November 23, Scott Glover, Curt Devine, Drew Griffin and Scott Bronstein, “A dark money mystery in Florida centers on the campaign of a spoiler candidate who appeared to help a Republican win by 32 votes”, in CNN‎^[4], archived from the original on 25 February 2025:

     Shortly thereafter, came a torrent of nearly identical political fliers seemingly intended to siphon away support from Democratic candidates by tricking voters into casting their ballots for purported spoiler candidates who demonstrated no real interest in getting elected. […] Candidates for a state senate seat race in South Florida in which a spoiler appeared to help Republican challenger Ileana Garcia unseat incumbent Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez.

Derived terms

• Q spoiler
• spoilerage
• spoiler ahead
• spoiler alert
• spoiler effect
• spoilerette
• spoilerific
• spoileron
• spoiler space
• spoilervirgin
• spoilerwhore
• spoilery
• unspoiler

Descendants

• → Catalan: espòiler
• → Czech: spoiler
• → French: spoiler
• → Georgian: სპოილერი (sṗoileri)
• → German: Spoiler
• → Italian: spoiler
• → Polish: spoiler
• → Portuguese: spoiler
• → Russian: спо́йлер (spójler)
• → Spanish: spoiler
• → Turkish: spoiler
• → Ukrainian: спо́йлер (spójler)

Translations

one who spoils; a plunderer; a pillager

• Bulgarian: грабител (bg) m (grabitel)
• Finnish: ryöväri (fi), ryöstäjä (fi)
• Irish: creachadóir m
• Sicilian: spogghia-morti m or f
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: چاپولجی (çapulcu), پلاچقه‌جی (plaçkacı)

one who corrupts, mars, or renders useless

• Finnish: pilaaja (fi)

document, review or comment that discloses

• Catalan: filtració (ca) f, espòiler (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 劇情透露 / 剧情透露 (zh) (jùqíng tòulù), 劇透 / 剧透 (zh) (jùtòu)

• Czech: spoiler m
• Danish: spoiler c
• Dutch: spoiler (nl)
• Finnish: ilonpilaaja (fi), juonipaljastus (fi); spoileri (fi) (slang)
• French: spoiler (fr) m, divulgâchage (fr) m, divulgâchis (fr) m
• German: Spoiler (de) m
• Hebrew: קלקלן (he) m (kalkelan)
• Hungarian: spoiler (hu), rontóc
• Indonesian: beberan (id)
• Italian: spoiler (it) m
• Japanese: ネタバレ (ja) (netabare)
• Korean: 스포일러 (ko) (seupoilleo), 스포 (seupo)
• Malay: beberan
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: spoiler m

• Polish: spoiler (pl) m
• Portuguese: spoiler (pt) m
• Russian: спо́йлер (ru) m (spójler)
• Sicilian: sbilata f, scummigghiata f
• Spanish: espóiler (es) m, destripe (es) m, destripamiento (es) m, spoiler m
• Swedish: spoiler c
• Thai: สปอยเลอร์ (sà-bpɔɔi-lə̂ə)
• Ukrainian: спо́йлер m (spójler)

aeronautics: device to reduce lift

• Bulgarian: спо́йлер (bg) m (spójler)
• Finnish: spoileri (fi)
• French: destructeur de portance m, spoiler (fr) m
• German: Störklappe f
• Japanese: スポイラー (ja) (supoirā)
• Kazakh: спойлер (spoiler)
• Korean: 스포일러 (ko) (seupoilleo)
• Polish: spoiler (pl) m
• Portuguese: spoiler (pt) m, speedbrake m
• Russian: спо́йлер (ru) m (spójler)
• Thai: สปอยเลอร์ (sà-bpɔɔi-lə̂ə)

automobiles: device to reduce lift and increase downforce

• Bulgarian: спо́йлер (bg) m (spójler)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 導流板 / 导流板 (zh) (dǎoliúbǎn)

• Czech: spoiler m
• Finnish: spoileri (fi)
• French: aileron (fr) m, spoiler (fr) m
• German: Spoiler (de) m
• Greek: αεροτομή (el) f (aerotomí)
• Italian: alettone (it)
• Japanese: スポイラー (ja) (supoirā)
• Korean: 스포일러 (ko) (seupoilleo)
• Polish: spoiler (pl) m
• Portuguese: spoiler (pt) m, aerofólio m
• Russian: спо́йлер (ru) m (spójler), антикрыло́ (ru) n (antikryló)
• Spanish: espóiler (es) m, alerón (es) m, spoiler m
• Swedish: spoiler c
• Thai: สปอยเลอร์ (sà-bpɔɔi-lə̂ə)

politics, gaming: competitor unable to win but with the power to determine the winner

trading card games: comprehensive list of objects and their characteristics

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} malkaŝaĵo
• French: ^{(please verify)} déporteur (fr) (2), ^{(please verify)} béquet (fr), ^{(please verify)} becquet (fr) (3)

Verb

spoiler (third-person singular simple present spoilers, present participle spoilering, simple past and past participle spoilered)

1. (transitive, fandom slang) To mark (a document or message) with a spoiler warning, to prevent readers from accidentally learning details they would prefer not to know.
2. (transitive, fandom slang) To tell (a person) details of how a story ends etc.

   I've been spoilered, so I doubt I'll be able to enjoy the final episode.

Further reading

• spoiler on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• spoiler (media) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• spoiler (aeronautics) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• spoiler (car) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• spoiler effect on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• slopier

Czech

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spoiler.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈspoɪlɛr]

Noun

spoiler m inan

1. (aeronautics) A device to reduce lift and increase drag.
2. (automotive) A device to reduce lift and increase downforce.

Declension

Declension of spoiler (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	spoiler	spoilery
genitive	spoileru	spoilerů
dative	spoileru	spoilerům
accusative	spoiler	spoilery
vocative	spoilere	spoilery
locative	spoileru	spoilerech
instrumental	spoilerem	spoilery

Further reading

• “spoiler”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2026
• “spoiler”, in Akademický slovník současné češtiny, 2012–2026, slovnikcestiny.cz

French

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spoiler.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (noun) /spɔj.lœʁ/, (verb) /spɔj.le/

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

spoiler m (plural spoilers)

1. spoiler (something that discloses the ending or some key surprise or twist in a story)

   Synonyms: (Quebec) divulgâcheur, divulgâchage, divulgâchis

Verb

spoiler

1. to spoil (a story, ending, etc.)

   Synonyms: (Quebec) divulgâcher, dévoiler, révéler

Conjugation

Conjugation of spoiler (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	spoiler
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	spoilant /spɔj.lɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		spoilé /spɔj.le/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	spoile /spɔjl/	spoiles /spɔjl/	spoile /spɔjl/	spoilons /spɔj.lɔ̃/	spoilez /spɔj.le/	spoilent /spɔjl/
	imperfect	spoilais /spɔj.lɛ/	spoilais /spɔj.lɛ/	spoilait /spɔj.lɛ/	spoilions /spɔj.ljɔ̃/	spoiliez /spɔj.lje/	spoilaient /spɔj.lɛ/
	past historic2	spoilai /spɔj.le/	spoilas /spɔj.la/	spoila /spɔj.la/	spoilâmes /spɔj.lam/	spoilâtes /spɔj.lat/	spoilèrent /spɔj.lɛʁ/
	future	spoilerai /spɔj.lə.ʁe/	spoileras /spɔj.lə.ʁa/	spoilera /spɔj.lə.ʁa/	spoilerons /spɔj.lə.ʁɔ̃/	spoilerez /spɔj.lə.ʁe/	spoileront /spɔj.lə.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	spoilerais /spɔj.lə.ʁɛ/	spoilerais /spɔj.lə.ʁɛ/	spoilerait /spɔj.lə.ʁɛ/	spoilerions /spɔj.lə.ʁjɔ̃/	spoileriez /spɔj.lə.ʁje/	spoileraient /spɔj.lə.ʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	spoile /spɔjl/	spoiles /spɔjl/	spoile /spɔjl/	spoilions /spɔj.ljɔ̃/	spoiliez /spɔj.lje/	spoilent /spɔjl/
	imperfect2	spoilasse /spɔj.las/	spoilasses /spɔj.las/	spoilât /spɔj.la/	spoilassions /spɔj.la.sjɔ̃/	spoilassiez /spɔj.la.sje/	spoilassent /spɔj.las/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	spoile /spɔjl/	—	spoilons /spɔj.lɔ̃/	spoilez /spɔj.le/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spoiler.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɔj.ler/
• Rhymes: -ɔjler
• Hyphenation: spòi‧ler

Noun

spoiler m (plural spoilers)

1. spoiler (document, review or comment that discloses the ending or some key surprise or twist in a story)
2. (aeronautics, automotive) spoiler
3. (nautical) aft extension of the hull, increasing the floating length and reducing drag
4. (sports, skiing) articulated rear part of the upper of a ski or other sports boot
5. (skiing) plastic device attached to the front of downhill skis to prevent vibration or crossing

Derived terms

• spoilerare

Polish

spoiler sense 1

spoiler sense 2

Alternative forms

• spojler

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spoiler.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɔj.lɛr/
• Rhymes: -ɔjlɛr
• Syllabification: spoi‧ler

Noun

spoiler m inan

2. (aeronautics) spoiler (device to reduce lift and increase drag)
4. spoiler (device to reduce lift and increase downforce)
5. (colloquial, media) spoiler (document, review, or comment that discloses the ending or some key surprise or twist in a story, or the internal rules controlling the behaviour of a video game, etc.)

Declension

Declension of spoiler

	singular	plural
nominative	spoiler	spoilery
genitive	spoilera	spoilerów
dative	spoilerowi	spoilerom
accusative	spoiler	spoilery
instrumental	spoilerem	spoilerami
locative	spoilerze	spoilerach
vocative	spoilerze	spoilery

Further reading

• “spoiler”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[5] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “spoiler”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[6] (in Polish)
• spoiler in PWN's encyclopedia

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spoiler.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /isˈpɔj.leʁ/ [isˈpɔɪ̯.leh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /isˈpɔj.leʁ/ [isˈpɔɪ̯.leh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /isˈpɔj.leɾ/ [isˈpɔɪ̯.leɾ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /iʃˈpɔj.leʁ/ [iʃˈpɔɪ̯.leχ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /isˈpɔj.leɻ/ [isˈpɔɪ̯.leɻ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈspɔj.lɛɾ/

Noun

spoiler m (plural spoilers)

1. spoiler (document, review or comment that discloses the ending or some key surprise or twist in a story)
2. (aeronautics) spoiler (device to reduce lift and increase drag)
3. (automotive) spoiler (device to reduce lift and increase downforce)

Derived terms

• spoilar

Further reading

• “spoiler”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “spoiler”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

spoilers in numbers 9 and 10, and ailerons in numbers 2 and 3 (#1)

aircraft wing with deployed spoiler (#1)

A car spoiler (#2)

Alternative forms

• espóiler

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spoiler.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspoileɾ/ [ˈspoi̯.leɾ], /esˈpoileɾ/ [esˈpoi̯.leɾ]
• Rhymes: -oileɾ
• Syllabification: spoi‧ler

Noun

spoiler m (plural spoilers or spoiler)

1. (aeronautics) spoiler (a device to reduce lift and increase drag)
2. (automotive) spoiler (a device to reduce lift and increase downforce)

   Synonym: alerón

3. spoiler (document, review or comment that discloses the ending or some key surprise or twist in a story)

   Synonym: destripe

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

Seco, Manuel; Andrés, Olimpia; Ramos, Gabino (2023), “spoiler”, in Diccionario del español actual (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA

Turkish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English spoiler.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈs(ɯ)poj.lɯɾ]
• Hyphenation: spoi‧ler

Noun

spoiler (definite accusative spoileri, plural spoilerler)

1. spoiler

Declension

Declension of spoiler

singular plural nominative spoiler spoilerler definite accusative spoilerü spoilerleri dative spoilere spoilerlere locative spoilerde spoilerlerde ablative spoilerden spoilerlerden genitive spoilerün spoilerlerin Possessive forms nominative singular plural 1st singular spoilerüm spoilerlerim 2nd singular spoilerün spoilerlerin 3rd singular spoilerü spoilerleri 1st plural spoilerümüz spoilerlerimiz 2nd plural spoilerünüz spoilerleriniz 3rd plural spoilerleri spoilerleri definite accusative singular plural 1st singular spoilerümü spoilerlerimi 2nd singular spoilerünü spoilerlerini 3rd singular spoilerünü spoilerlerini 1st plural spoilerümüzü spoilerlerimizi 2nd plural spoilerünüzü spoilerlerinizi 3rd plural spoilerlerini spoilerlerini dative singular plural 1st singular spoilerüme spoilerlerime 2nd singular spoilerüne spoilerlerine 3rd singular spoilerüne spoilerlerine 1st plural spoilerümüze spoilerlerimize 2nd plural spoilerünüze spoilerlerinize 3rd plural spoilerlerine spoilerlerine locative singular plural 1st singular spoilerümde spoilerlerimde 2nd singular spoileründe spoilerlerinde 3rd singular spoileründe spoilerlerinde 1st plural spoilerümüzde spoilerlerimizde 2nd plural spoilerünüzde spoilerlerinizde 3rd plural spoilerlerinde spoilerlerinde ablative singular plural 1st singular spoilerümden spoilerlerimden 2nd singular spoileründen spoilerlerinden 3rd singular spoileründen spoilerlerinden 1st plural spoilerümüzden spoilerlerimizden 2nd plural spoilerünüzden spoilerlerinizden 3rd plural spoilerlerinden spoilerlerinden genitive singular plural 1st singular spoilerümün spoilerlerimin 2nd singular spoilerünün spoilerlerinin 3rd singular spoilerünün spoilerlerinin 1st plural spoilerümüzün spoilerlerimizin 2nd plural spoilerünüzün spoilerlerinizin 3rd plural spoilerlerinin spoilerlerinin