on-the-spot
adjective
done or occurring at the time or place in question.
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
Those caught doing so will get a £200 on-the-spot fine in the first instance, rising to an unlimited fine and/or a prison sentence of up to two years for repeat offences.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2025
The district — where nearly all students come from low-income families — also brings in corps of tutors who walk the class and offer on-the-spot help.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025
They could search for injured and trapped people in an earthquake or a collapsed building, for example, and apply on-the-spot care, such as administering CPR.
From Science Daily ● May 3, 2024
From 145th Street to 149th Street, policemen had blocked off all automobile traffic except for their own cars, the newspapers’ cars, and the equipment trucks for radio and television on-the-spot coverage.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
“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
McLaren's James Hunt and Lotus' Mario Andretti tangle while battling for the lead in 1977, with the Briton eliminated on the spot.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The company in July said it would start guaranteeing the quality of its Whoppers, committing to remake orders on the spot if customers deem them unsatisfactory, and providing a future Whopper for free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
He then instructed me to pull back into the driveway and patched the tire for me on the spot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Beowulf grinned from ear to ear and seemed to grow taller on the spot.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
