verb phrase🎓 English idiom
spill the beans
to reveal a secret
What it means
To reveal secret or private information, often accidentally or before the right moment. It's used informally when someone discloses something that was meant to stay hidden.
Words like “spill the beans” are exactly the kind of vocabulary our English vocabulary size test measures — find out how many English words you know.
Examples
- Don't spill the beans about the surprise party before Saturday.
- He accidentally spilled the beans about their engagement at dinner.
- Come on, spill the beans, who got the promotion?
- She promised not to spill the beans, but the news leaked anyway.
Where it comes from
The origin is uncertain, but it likely comes from early 20th-century American slang; a popular but unproven theory links it to ancient voting with beans that could be knocked over and revealed.
Related idioms
🎓 Think you know your idioms?
Take the English Idioms Test — 20 terms, instant result, no signup.
Take the English Idioms TestBuilt by the team behind Deep In.