noun
- politicians who seek to gain personal profit or advantage from their political positions, especially through the distribution of government jobs to supporters
Usage: political term; often derogatory
Examples
- The reform movement aimed to remove corrupt spoilsmen from city government.
- Critics accused the mayor of surrounding himself with spoilsmen who cared only about personal gain.
- The civil service system was created to prevent spoilsmen from controlling government hiring.
- Newspaper editorials condemned the spoilsmen who treated public office as a path to wealth.
- Progressive politicians fought against the spoilsmen who dominated the party machine.
- The scandal revealed how spoilsmen had been awarding contracts to their friends for years.