spoiler

noun

spoil·​er ˈspȯi-lər 

1

a

: one that spoils

b

: one (such as a political candidate) having little or no chance of winning but capable of depriving a rival of success

2

a

: a long narrow plate along the upper surface of an airplane wing that may be raised for reducing lift and increasing drag see airplane illustration

b

: an air deflector on an automobile to reduce the tendency to lift off the road at high speeds

3

: information about the plot of a movie or TV program that can spoil a viewer's sense of surprise or suspense

also : a person who discloses such information

Examples of spoiler in a Sentence

The review contains a few spoilers, so don't read it if you haven't seen the movie.

Recent Examples on the Web

This post contains spoilers for Friday’s Severance Season 2 finale. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 23 Mar. 2025

The following contains mild plot spoilers for Locked! —Josh Weiss, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025

Sophia Bush’s return to Grey Sloan causes Teddy to make a major realization about herself that could impact her relationship with Owen on the latest episode of 'Grey’s Anatomy' Comments Warning: this story contains spoilers from the March 20 episode of Grey's Anatomy. —Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025

This post contains spoilers for this week’s episode of Severance, which is now streaming on Apple TV+. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing spoiler

• spoiler alert

Rhymes for spoiler

• boiler
• broiler
• oiler
• toiler
• reboiler

Kids Definition

spoiler

noun

spoil·​er ˈspȯi-lər 

1

a

: one that spoils

b

: one (as a political candidate) having little or no chance of winning but capable of depriving a rival of success

2

: a device (as on an airplane or automobile) used to disrupt airflow and decrease lift

3

: information about the plot of a book, motion picture, or television program that can spoil a reader's or a viewer's sense of surprise or suspense