spill
gb/spˈɪl/ us/spˈɪl/
A2
English
~ 1600
kiönt, elárul, kikotyog, közöl, kiömlés, kiömlött folyadék, kiszór, szétszór, ledob, levet
VERB
A2
1
kiönt
A2
Usage pattern:
to spill [liquid] [somewhere]
I accidentally spilled coffee on my laptop.
Véletlenül kiöntöttem a kávét a laptopomra.
She spilled water all over the kitchen floor.
Kiöntötte a vizet az egész konyhapadlóra.
The waiter spilled wine on the tablecloth.
Be careful not to spill your drink.
He spilled milk while pouring it into the glass.
Learner examples
I spilled water on the floor.
Véletlenül kiöntöttem a vizet a padlóra.
She spilled milk on the table.
Véletlenül kiöntötte a tejet az asztalra.
He spilled juice on his shirt.
Don't spill your tea.
The boy spilled soup on the carpet.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'spill' with 'leak'. 'Spill' usually involves an accidental act, while 'leak' describes liquid escaping slowly through a hole or crack.
Meaning
Accidentally pour liquid out
Collocations
spill coffee
|spill water
|spill wine
|spill milk
|spill juice
Synonyms
pour (Implies controlled action, not accidental.)
Antonyms
contain (To keep liquid inside a container.)
Themes
daily life
|home
|food
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make liquid come out of a container by mistake.
To cause liquid to flow out of a container accidentally, especially over the edge or onto a surface.
VERB
B1
INFORMAL
2
Usage pattern:
to spill [the beans/secrets]
Come on, spill the beans—what happened at the party?
Na, áruld el végre – mi történt a bulin?
He accidentally spilled the secret about her surprise birthday.
Véletlenül kikotyogta a titkot a meglepetés-szülinapi bulijáról.
She refused to spill any details about the new project.
Learner examples
He spilled the secret to his friend.
Elárulta a titkot a barátjának.
She spilled the beans about the plan.
Kikotyogta a tervet.
I will not spill the surprise.
Don't spill our secret.
He spilled the news to everyone.
Common mistake:
Learners may not recognize that 'spill' here is figurative and informal, and try to use it in formal writing inappropriately.
Meaning
Reveal secret information
Collocations
spill the beans
|spill secrets
Synonyms
reveal (More formal and neutral; not necessarily informal or idiomatic.)
Antonyms
conceal (To keep information hidden.)
Themes
communication
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To say something that was meant to be kept secret.
To tell someone something secret or private, often unintentionally or prematurely.
NOUN
B1
3
kiömlés
B2
There was a large oil spill near the coast.
Nagy olajkiömlés történt a part közelében.
Clean up that coffee spill before it stains.
Takarítsd fel a kiömlött kávét, mielőtt foltot hagy.
The company was fined for the chemical spill.
Learner examples
There is a milk spill on the floor.
Kiömlött tej van a padlón.
The oil spill hurt many fish.
A kiömlött olaj sok halnak ártott.
We cleaned the juice spill quickly.
I see a coffee spill on the desk.
The wine spill made a red mark.
Meaning
Accidental release of liquid
Collocations
oil spill
|wine spill
|coffee spill
Synonyms
leakage (Usually refers to slow escape of liquid or gas, not sudden accidental release.)
Antonyms
containment (The act of keeping something within limits or inside a container.)
Themes
daily life
|home
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
An accident when liquid comes out of a container, or the liquid itself.
An act or instance of liquid flowing out of a container accidentally, or the liquid that has flowed out.
VERB
A2
4
Usage pattern:
to spill [objects] [somewhere]
He tripped and spilled coins all over the floor.
Megbotlott, és az egész padlón szétszórta az érméket.
The bag split and spilled rice onto the ground.
A zsák kiszakadt, és a rizs kiszóródott a földre.
She opened her purse and spilled its contents onto the table.
Learner examples
I spilled coins on the ground.
Véletlenül kiszórtam az érméket a földre.
She spilled rice on the floor.
Véletlenül kiszórta a rizst a padlóra.
He spilled toys from the box.
Don't spill papers from your bag.
They spilled buttons on the table.
Meaning
Cause things to fall out
Collocations
spill coins
|spill papers
Synonyms
scatter (Implies spreading widely, not necessarily by accident.)
Antonyms
gather (To collect things together.)
Themes
daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make things fall out of a container by mistake.
To cause solid objects to fall or scatter from a container or surface, especially by accident.
VERB
B2
5
The horse bucked and spilled its rider onto the ground.
A ló bakolt, és ledobta a lovasát a földre.
He was spilled from his bike during the race.
A verseny közben lerepült a biciklijéről.
The rough wave spilled several passengers into the water.
Learner examples
The horse spilled its rider.
A ló ledobta a lovasát.
He was spilled from his bike.
Lerepült a biciklijéről.
The boat spilled people into the sea.
She was spilled from the horse.
The wave spilled them into the water.
Meaning
Cause rider to fall off
Collocations
spill a rider
Synonyms
unseat (More formal; commonly used for horses.)
Antonyms
mount securely (To stay seated safely on an animal or vehicle.)
Themes
sports
|travel
|transportation
Definition
To make someone fall off a moving thing like a bike or horse by accident.
To cause someone to fall from a moving vehicle, bicycle, horse, or similar, usually by accident.
Grammar
Dictionary form
spill
IPA
GB/spˈɪl/
US/spˈɪl/
Syllables & stress
spill (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (spill)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: spill
- Plural: spills
Verb
- Base: spill
- 3rd Person Singular: spills
- Present Participle: spilling
- Past: spilled, spilt
- Past Participle: spilled
Word family
Forms
spills
noun
spilling
verb
spilled
verb
spilt
verb
Related words
spillage
noun
Advanced or less common
spillover
noun
Expressions
oil spill
1/ˈɔɪl spˈɪl/
fixed phrase
Accidental release of oil into environment
An accident when oil goes into nature, especially into water, causing harm.
Examples
- The oil spill damaged marine life along the coast.
- Authorities are working to clean up the massive oil spill.
spill over
1/spˈɪl ˈoʊvɚ/
phrasal verb
Extend into another area/situation
When something moves or spreads into another area or affects another situation.
Examples
- The conflict soon spilled over into neighboring countries.
- Her work stress began to spill over into her home life.
cry over spilt milk
1/kɹˈaɪ ˈoʊvɚ spˈɪlt mˈɪlk/
idiom
regret something irreversible
To be sad about something that already happened and cannot be changed.
Examples
- It's no use crying over spilt milk—let's move on.
- It's no use crying over spilt milk—we need to fix what's left.
- She told him not to cry over spilt milk after he lost the game.
- She knows she made a mistake but says there's no point crying over spilt milk.
spill the beans
1/spˈɪl ðə bˈinz/
idiom
informal
Reveal a secret unintentionally
To tell someone something that should be kept secret, often without meaning to.
Examples
- Don't spill the beans about her surprise party!
- He accidentally spilled the beans about the promotion before it was announced.
spill the beans
2/spˈɪl ðə bˈinz/
idiom
reveal secret information
To tell secret information that you were not supposed to tell.
Examples
- Who spilled the beans about the surprise party?
- If you promise not to spill the beans, I’ll tell you what happened.
- The press conference spilled the beans on the company’s new product.
spill your guts
1/spˈɪl jˈʊɹ ɡˈʌts/
idiom
informal
Reveal all personal information/feelings
To tell someone everything you know or feel, often personal things or secrets.
Examples
- After a few drinks, he started to spill his guts about his childhood.
- He spilled his guts during the interview about his past mistakes.
- She refused to spill her guts during the interview.
- After a few drinks, she spilled her guts about her relationship problems.