spill a drink

Meaning

To accidentally knock over or pour a beverage out of its container onto a surface. This is a very common accident at restaurants, parties, or during meals, and is usually met with a quick cleanup.

Examples

• I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to spill my drink all over your new tablecloth.

  I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to spill my drink all over your new tablecloth.

• Watch out! If you keep waving your hands like that, you're going to spill your drink.

  Watch out! If you keep waving your hands like that, you're going to spill your drink.

• He accidentally spilled his drink when the waiter bumped into his chair.

  He accidentally spilled his drink when the waiter bumped into his chair.

• Can I get some napkins? Someone just spilled a drink near the bar.

  Can I get some napkins? Someone just spilled a drink near the bar.

• She was laughing so hard that she ended up spilling her drink on her lap.

  She was laughing so hard that she ended up spilling her drink on her lap.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I dropped my drink on the table.

  ✓ I spilled my drink on the table.

  'Drop' means the glass fell from your hand. If the liquid came out of the glass but the glass stayed on the table, or if you knocked it over, 'spill' is the correct verb.

• ✗ He spilled a drink to my shirt.

  ✓ He spilled a drink on my shirt.

  Use 'on' or 'all over' to describe the surface or object that the liquid landed on, not 'to'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Be careful with that full cup, you might ___ if you walk too fast.

  💡 Think about accidentally pouring the liquid out.

  Show answer

  spill your drink

• Did you just ___ on the carpet? We need to clean it up quickly.

  💡 The verb starts with 's' and refers to liquid escaping a cup.

  Show answer

  spill a drink