spoils system
noun
: a practice of regarding public offices and their emoluments as plunder for members of the victorious party
Examples of spoils system in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Federal employee protections started as a reform to the chaos caused by the 19th-century spoils system, in which federal jobs were awarded to a president’s loyalists.
—
Brian Witte, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
After marching through downtown in support of Republican presidential nominee Rutherford B. Hayes, the legendary humorist called for an end to the spoils system.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2025
But only months after being sworn in, the spoils system exacted its most horrifying toll.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2025
That law ended the corrupt spoils system where federal jobs were handed out as political favors.
—John C. Ronquillo, Baltimore Sun, 9 Dec. 2024
The senator’s boast became a platitude and provided a label for the politics of the era: the spoils system.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
Conflict or strife grows in lockstep with a racial or ethnic spoils system.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2024
The spoils system propagated like a pernicious weed.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
Both Karzai and Ghani managed ethnic representation through a spoils system rather than the promotion of a common national vision.
—P. Michael McKinley, Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2021
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Brian Witte, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
After marching through downtown in support of Republican presidential nominee Rutherford B. Hayes, the legendary humorist called for an end to the spoils system.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2025
But only months after being sworn in, the spoils system exacted its most horrifying toll.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2025
That law ended the corrupt spoils system where federal jobs were handed out as political favors.
—John C. Ronquillo, Baltimore Sun, 9 Dec. 2024
The senator’s boast became a platitude and provided a label for the politics of the era: the spoils system.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
Conflict or strife grows in lockstep with a racial or ethnic spoils system.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2024
The spoils system propagated like a pernicious weed.
—TIME, 14 May 2024
Both Karzai and Ghani managed ethnic representation through a spoils system rather than the promotion of a common national vision.
—P. Michael McKinley, Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near spoils system
Cite this Entry
“Spoils system.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spoils%20system. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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