spoiler

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   information that reveals an important plot event or ending and may reduce a story's surprise

   The review contains a major spoiler about the final episode.

2. 2
   noun

   an aerodynamic surface on an aircraft or vehicle that disrupts airflow and reduces lift

   The pilot raised the spoilers after landing to help keep the aircraft on the runway.

3. 3
   noun

   a person or thing that ruins an experience, prevents success, or alters an expected result

   With no chance of reaching the playoffs, the team still hoped to play spoiler against its rival.

4. 4
   noun

   a person who plunders, seizes, or destroys; historical or literary

   The villagers hid their stores before the spoiler reached the valley.

Formed from spoil + the agentive suffix -er. It first denoted a person who plundered or otherwise spoiled something, then any person or device that disrupted an intended result. The aerodynamic sense arose in the twentieth century, as did the now common use for information that spoils a narrative surprise.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images