on-the-spot
adjective
done or occurring at the time or place in question.
Showing results for on-the-spot.
Search instead for
in-the-front.
Jump To:
-
on-the-spot
-
on the spot
on the spot
At once, without delay, as in When the boss learned Tom had been lying, he fired him on the spot . This usage suggests that one does not have time to move away from a particular spot. [Late 1600s]
on-the-spot
American
[on-thuh-spot, awn-]
/ ˈɒn ðəˌspɒt, ˈɔn- /
adjective
on the spot
Idioms
-
At once, without delay, as in When the boss learned Tom had been lying, he fired him on the spot . This usage suggests that one does not have time to move away from a particular spot. [Late 1600s]
-
At the scene of action, as in Whenever there's a bad accident or fire, you can be sure the station will have a reporter on the spot . This usage also employs spot in the sense of “a particular location.” [Late 1600s]
-
Under pressure or in trouble, as in He's on the spot, because he can't pay back the loan . It is also phrased as put on the spot , meaning “put under pressure.” For example, The reporter's question put her on the spot; she didn't want to lie or to admit her part in the scandal . [First half of 1900s]
Etymology
Origin of on-the-spot
First recorded in 1885–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Most of all, I’d leave room in the itinerary for on-the-spot finds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
Liu practiced in the dress and McKinnon was able to make on-the-spot adjustments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
The government has said Trading Standards will be able to keep the full value of the on-the-spot fines, to reinvest into enforcement.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2025
Turkish citizens this summer are able to visit 10 Greek islands using on-the-spot visas, skipping a more cumbersome procedure needed to enter Europe’s common travel area zone, known as the Schengen area.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2024
Rather, he was something of a poet, an inventor of on-the-spot ballads called corridos, and at one time he had been able to read and write in both English and Spanish.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Most independent truckers who operate job-to-job on the spot market pay for their own costs, like fuel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
It’s common for me to run into someone I know and have them invite me to coffee on the spot.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
The Frenchman and the world champion retired on the spot, while Colapinto limped around the lap to stop in the pits, where his race also came to an end.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
“If I had not told the truth, completely and right on the spot, everything that followed would have been different.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
We made up many songs on the spot.
From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
