What does "spoilsman" mean?

A politician who serves only for a share of the spoils.

What is a synonym for "spoilsman"?

Common synonyms include: grafter, influence peddler.

Spoilsman

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A politician who serves only for a share of the spoils. US
"Cameron's notoriety as a spoilsman who had been in turn a Democrat, a Know-Nothing, and had flirted with Whiggery, militated against his candidacy among delegates concerned that the party should appear to be as pure as Caesar's wife."

Synonyms

All synonyms

grafter influence peddler

Example

More examples

"Cameron's notoriety as a spoilsman who had been in turn a Democrat, a Know-Nothing, and had flirted with Whiggery, militated against his candidacy among delegates concerned that the party should appear to be as pure as Caesar's wife."

Etymology

From spoils + man.

More for "spoilsman"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.