SPOIL1 to make something look, taste, or seem much less good2 to spoil someone's work or plans3 to spoil a relationship or friendship4 to make an event less enjoyable or successful5 to spoil the good opinion that people have of someone6 someone who spoils things7 not spoiledRELATED WORDSto spoil a child 宠坏孩子KIND (2)see alsoDAMAGEBREAKDESTROYMARK1 to make something look, taste, or seem much less good 使某物的外表、味道等看来更不好spoil /spɔɪl/ [transitive verb not usually in progressive] A badly positioned path can spoil the appearance of a garden. 人行道选址不当会破坏花园的美观。 The power station is extremely ugly, and it spoils the view of the sea. 这座发电站奇丑无比，破坏了海景。spoil something for somebody New housing developments are spoiling the countryside for everyone. 新的住宅开发项目破坏了大家的乡村美景。ruin /ˈruːɪn, ˈruːən/ [transitive verb]to completely spoil something 〔完全地〕毁坏，破坏，糟塌 The rain had ruined her best velvet skirt. 这场雨把她最好的天鹅绒裙子糟塌了。 Don't use harsh soap to wash your face. It will ruin your skin. 不要用刺激性强的肥皂洗脸，它会损坏你的皮肤。 Protestors say that the proposed new airport will ruin this peaceful area. 抗议者说拟建中的新机场会破坏这一地区的宁静。mar /mɑːʳ/ [transitive verb]writtento spoil the appearance or beauty of a person or place 【书面】破坏，损坏〔某人或某地的外表或美态〕 Electricity cables and oil pipelines mar many of the world's most beautiful landscapes. 电缆和输油管破坏了世界上许多优美的风景。 He had handsome Arabic features, marred by a long scar across his face. 他有着阿拉伯人的英俊相貌，可是脸上那道长长的疤痕使他破了相。detract from /dɪˈtrækt frɒm/ [transitive phrasal verb not usually in progressive]to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, impressive etc 〔略为〕毁损，减损〔通常为非常出色、优美、令人印象深刻等的东西〕 Even a bruise on her cheekbone did not detract from her beauty. 即使是她颧骨上的伤痕也无损她的美貌。 The proposed building would detract from the character of the surrounding area. 拟建中的楼房将会破坏周边地区的特色。2 to spoil someone's work or plans 破坏某人的工作或计划spoil /spɔɪl/ [transitive verb] Don't let me spoil your plans. 别让我破坏你的计划。 This scandal could spoil the Senator's chances of becoming President. 这一丑闻可能会毁掉参议员当选总统的希望。 We were going to get married, but then war broke out and spoiled everything. 我们正打算结婚，可是战争爆发，把一切都打乱了。spoil something for somebody Starting a family so soon would definitely spoil her career prospects for her. 这么快生养孩子必定会影响她的前途。ruin /ˈruːɪn, ˈruːən/ [transitive verb]to completely spoil what someone has been trying to do 〔完全地〕破坏，毁掉〔所做的事〕 Surely you don't want to ruin all our good work, do you? 想必你不会要破坏我们的好事吧? Serious in-fighting ruined the Conservatives’ chances of winning the election. 严重的内部斗争破坏了保守党当选的机会。mess up /ˌmes ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]informalto spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned 【非正式】搞砸，弄糟mess up something The travel agents messed up the arrangements and there was no room for us at the hotel. 旅行社安排得一团糟，酒店没有给我们留房间。mess something up We secretly organized a party for her, but then Bill messed everything up by telling her about it. 我们偷偷地给她办了个晚会，可是比尔却告诉了她，把一切都打乱了。undermine /ˌʌndəʳˈmaɪn/ [transitive verb]to spoil something that has taken a long time to develop 逐渐损害〔发展了很长时间的事物〕 The kidnappings undermined several months of delicate peace negotiations. 这些绑架事件使几个月以来微妙的和平谈判渐渐趋于破裂。 The US was accused of undermining international efforts to combat global warming. 美国被指破坏了各国遏制全球变暖的努力。screw up /ˌskruː ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]informalto completely spoil something such as a plan, especially by doing something stupid 【非正式】〔尤指做蠢事〕把〔计划等〕弄糟，搅乱 Someone screwed up and what was supposed to be a confidential email was copies to everyone in the company. 有人从中捣乱，把应该是机密的一份电子邮件抄送给了公司里的每一个人。screw something up I can't trust you to do anything right can I? You always manage to screw things up. 我能把什么事情交给你做？你总是把事情搅乱。screw up something There was no way he was going to allow her to screw up his plans. 他是决不会让她破坏自己的计划的。sabotage /ˈsæbətɑːʒ/ [transitive verb]to deliberately spoil someone's plans or arrangements because you do not want them to succeed 蓄意破坏〔某人的计划或安排〕 Her father sabotaged her acting ambitions by refusing to let her go to drama school. 她父亲存心破坏她从事演艺的抱负，拒绝让她上戏剧学校。 The attack is being seen as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the peace talks. 这次进攻被认为是对和平会谈的蓄意破坏。throw a spanner in the worksBritish/throw a monkey wrench in/into somethingAmerican /ˌθrəʊ ə ˈspænəʳ ɪn ðə ˌwɜːʳks, ˌθrəʊ ə ˈmʌŋki rentʃ ɪn, ɪntə something/ [verb phrase]informalto unexpectedly do something that prevents a plan or process from continuing or succeeding 【非正式】〔意外地〕破坏计划 ‘He won't lend us the money after all.’ ‘Well, that's really thrown a spanner in the works, hasn't it?’ “他怎么也不肯借钱给我们。”“哎呀，那真是坏了我们的计划呀。” The President's veto threw a wrench into a program that had already been approved by a big majority of the Congress. 国会绝大多数人都已赞同的一个计划，被总统的否决给搞砸了。pour cold water on /ˌpɔːʳ kəʊld ˈwɔːtər ɒn/ [verb phrase]to spoil someone's plan, suggestion, or attitude towards something, by saying something that makes it seem less attractive or less likely to succeed 给〔某人的计划、建议、做某事的态度等〕泼冷水 Her mother had poured cold water on the whole idea of Eva going to Africa. 伊娃想去非洲，她母亲却泼了她一头冷水。 The committee's final report, just published, pours cold water on government proposals for helping the unemployed. 委员会刚刚发表的年终报告，给政府对援助失业者的提议泼了一盆冷水。3 to spoil a relationship or friendship 破坏关系或友情spoil /spɔɪl/ [transitive verb] His jealousy spoiled their relationship, and she left him after a few months. 他的嫉妒心破坏了他们之间的关系，几个月以后她就离开了他。 The assassination attempt has definitely spoilt the previously positive atmosphere between the opposing parties. 这次刺杀行动无疑破坏了这两个敌对政党之间原本友好的气氛。sour /saʊəʳ/ [transitive verb]to spoil a friendly relationship between people, especially when this happens gradually 使〔友好关系〕逐渐变坏 The affair did not seem to have soured their friendship. 这一事件似乎并不影响他们的友谊。 The global trend towards higher taxation on fuel consumption is souring relations with leading oil-producing states. 全球调高燃油消费税的趋势，损害了与主要产油国之间的关系。 The incident was serious enough to sour the atmosphere for weeks. 这一事件的严重性足以破坏气氛，几个星期都没有恢复。poison /ˈpɔɪzən/ [transitive verb]to spoil a relationship, especially a close one, by causing a situation in which people can no longer trust each other 毒化，破坏，使恶化〔尤指亲密的关系〕 Our marriage was poisoned by mistrust, deceit and jealousy. 不信任、欺骗和妒忌破坏了我们的婚姻。destroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ [transitive verb]to completely spoil a relationship or friendship 〔完全地〕破坏，毁掉〔关系或友谊〕 I don't want this to destroy our friendship. 我不想因为这事而破坏了我们的友谊。 Her feelings of self-doubt had destroyed every relationship that she had ever had. 她这种自我怀疑的态度一次又一次破坏了她和异性的交往。4 to make an event less enjoyable or successful 使某事件不愉快或不成功spoil /spɔɪl/ [transitive verb] The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday. 坏天气彻底破坏了我们的假期。 Why did you have to invite Jerry? You've spoiled the whole weekend. 你为什么一定要请杰里？你把这个周末全毁了。 This was her moment of glory, and she wasn't going to let anyone spoil it. 这是她光荣的一刻，她不想让任何人来破坏兴致。spoil something for somebody She wanted to do her own thing, but was afraid of spoiling Christmas for the rest of the family. 她想做自己的事情，但是又怕扫了全家人过圣诞节的兴致。spoil things He got very drunk that evening, and seemed determined to spoil things for all of us. 那天晚上他喝得烂醉，好像是一定要扫我们的兴似的。ruin /ˈruːɪn, ˈruːən/ [transitive verb]to completely spoil an event or occasion, with the result that no-one enjoys it 〔完全地〕毁坏，破坏〔某一事件或时刻〕 How can you prevent stomach upsets from ruining your holiday? 如何防止胃部不适破坏你的度假兴致？ruin something for somebody John and Sandy argued all the time, which completely ruined the evening for the rest of us. 约翰和桑迪吵个不停，把我们大家一晚上的兴致都完全破坏了。mar /mɑːʳ/ [transitive verb usually in passive]if something unpleasant such as an argument or accidentmars a big or important event, it makes it less enjoyable or less successful 〔争吵或意外等不快之事〕损害，破坏〔某一重大事件的气氛〕 Outbreaks of fighting and lawlessness marred the New Year celebrations. 斗殴和一些不法行为的发生破坏了新年的节庆气氛。 The race was marred by a horrific accident involving Niki Lauda. 这场比赛美中不足的是尼基·劳达遭遇了可怕的事故。put a damper on /ˌpʊt ə ˈdæmpər ɒn/ [verb phrase]if bad news, bad weather etcputs a damper on something, especially on a social event such as a party, it spoils people's enjoyment of it 〔坏消息、坏天气等〕使扫兴 The bad news put a damper on the celebrations. 这个坏消息使庆祝会大为扫兴。 Torrential rain put a damper on the event, sending bedraggled guests squelching across lawns to seek shelter. 滂沱大雨使得这场活动兴致大败，宾客们被淋得落汤鸡似的，咯吱咯吱地踩着草坪跑去躲雨。cast a shadow over /ˌkɑːst ə ˈʃædəʊ əʊvəʳǁˌkæst-/ [verb phrase]if somethingcasts a shadow over an event, period of time etc, it makes people feel less happy or hopeful because they are worrying about it 给〔事件、一段时期等〕蒙上阴影 The threat of war cast a shadow over the summer of 1939. 战争的威胁给1939年的夏天蒙上了阴影。 This argument with Kuroda did, I must admit, cast a shadow over my mood. 跟库罗达的这次争吵，我必须承认，确实给我的心情留下了阴影。5 to spoil the good opinion that people have of someone 破坏人们对某人好的看法spoil somebody's image /ˌspɔɪl somebodyˈs ˈɪmɪdʒ/ [verb phrase]to spoil the idea that people have about someone, especially a famous person who is often on television, in newspapers and magazines etc 损坏某人的形象〔尤指常在电视、报纸、杂志等上露面的名人〕 The star's cleancut image has been spoiled by accusations of gambling and drug-taking. 这位明星被指控赌博和吸毒，使其整洁的形象受损。damage somebody's reputation /ˌdæmɪdʒ somebodyˈs repjʊˈteɪʃən/ [transitive verb]to make people no longer have a good opinion about someone, especially a politician or someone with an important job 破坏某人的名声〔尤指政客或有重要工作的人〕 My main concern was to prevent this incident from damaging my reputation. 我最关心的是不能让这件事毁坏我的声誉。damaging /ˈdæmɪdʒɪŋ/ [adjective]containing information about someone's dishonest or immoral behaviour, which damages the good opinion that people have of them 破坏性的；有损名誉的 We can't risk any damaging scandals just before a Presidential election. 总统大选在即，我们不可以冒险让任何有破坏性的丑闻传出。 His career had been ruined by the sensational and damaging stories that appeared in the popular press. 通俗小报上一些耸人听闻的、带诽谤性的报道毁了他的前程。damaging to The recent court cases have been very damaging to the public image of the medical profession. 最近几个诉讼案件大大损害了医疗行业在公众心目中的形象。discredit /dɪsˈkredɪt, dɪsˈkredət/ [transitive verb]to damage the good opinion that people have of a person or organization, especially when this is done deliberately and in order to get an advantage 败坏〔某人或某组织〕的名声；诽谤〔尤指蓄意而为以得到好处〕 It was a blatant attempt to discredit the Prime Minister. 那是公然败坏首相名声的企图。 There were reports that his campaign team had been trying to dig up information that might discredit his rival. 有报道说他的竞选班子企图挖掘可能损害对手名声的新闻。smear campaign /ˈsmɪəʳ kæmˌpeɪn/ [countable noun]when an organization such as a political party or newspaper deliberately tries to find out and tell people about bad things someone in a public position has done, for example so that people are less likely to vote for them 〔政党或报纸等组织对某公职人员的〕毁谤攻击，抹黑行为 The magistrates who investigated his business empire have been made victims of a smear campaign. 对他的商业王国展开调查的地方法官成了一场毁谤行动的牺牲品。smear campaign against He called on people to ignore what he called a smear campaign against the government. 他呼吁人们不要理会他所称的针对政府的抹黑行为。6 someone who spoils things 令别人扫兴的人wet blanket /ˌwet ˈblæŋktǁˈwet ˌblæŋ-/ [countable noun]informalsomeone who spoils a happy event for other people, especially by refusing to join in with everyone else 【非正式】扫兴的人〔尤指不愿和大家一起参加活动的人〕 Stop being a wet blanket and come and dance. 别扫人家兴了，来跳舞吧。 Does he have to come on vacation with us? He's such a wet blanket! 他非得要和我们一起去度假吗？他这人很扫兴的！spoiler /ˈspɔɪləʳ/ [countable noun]someone who deliberately spoils someone else's enjoyment, happiness, or plans 扫兴的人〔指故意破坏别人的兴致或计划的人〕 My ex-husband was a real spoiler who turned every happy event into a nightmare. 我的前夫实在是个扫兴的人，他会把每一次愉快的活动都变成一场噩梦。spoilsport /ˈspɔɪlspɔːʳt/ [countable noun]informalsomeone who spoils other people's enjoyment, especially by trying to prevent them from doing something 【非正式】扫兴的人，败兴的人〔尤指阻止别人做某事者〕 ‘I don't think we should go in there - someone might see us.’ ‘Oh, don't be such a spoilsport - come on!’ “我想我们还是不要进去了吧—有人会看到我们的。”“噢，别扫兴了——来吧！”party pooper /ˈpɑːʳti ˌpuːpəʳ/ [countable noun]spoken informalsomeone who spoils other people's fun, for example by saying that they should not be doing what they are doing 【口，非正式】扫兴的人，败兴的人〔指说别人不该做某事的人〕 When he said it was time to wind things up, the others accused him of being a party pooper. 他说是时候结束了，别的人都怪他扫了大家的兴。killjoy /ˈkɪldʒɔɪ/ [countable noun]informalsomeone who disapproves of things that other people enjoy and who tries to stop them enjoying themselves 【非正式】扫兴的人，败兴的人〔指不赞同别人喜欢的事、并企图不让他们尽兴的人〕 We wanted to do a sponsored dance after work but those killjoys in Head Office wouldn't let us. 我们想在下班后搞一个慈善舞会，可是总部那些败兴的人不让我们搞。7 not spoiled 没有受到破坏的unspoiled/unspoilt /ˌʌnˈspɔɪld◂, ˌʌnˈspɔɪlt◂/ [adjective]a place or area that isunspoiled orunspoilt has not been spoiled by being changed 〔地方或地区〕未受破坏的 This is one of Africa's oldest remaining areas of unspoilt rainforest. 这是非洲留存至今未曾遭受破坏的最古老的热带雨林之一。 an unspoiled fishing village on the Mediterranean coast 地中海沿岸一个未受破坏的渔村 It was only by the grace of God that the village remained largely unspoiled. 靠着上帝的恩典，这个村子的大部分才未遭到破坏。unblemished /ˌʌnˈblemɪʃt/ [adjective]not spoiled in any way - use this about the opinion people have of someone or how well someone has done their job 清白的，无损的，无污点的 Lord Edwards is retiring after an unblemished career that has lasted thirty years. 爱德华兹伯爵经过30年清白的工作生涯，现在要退休了。 an unblemished record of service to the community 社区服务的清白记录 She is a woman with an unblemished reputation of fairness and competence. 她是一个名声清白的女人，为人公正，有才干。