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 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]
First recorded in 1885–90
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Soaring on-the-spot gas prices hit Evonik facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee and Nebraska this winter, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 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
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
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
"To be boring is to die right there on the spot," she added in a newsletter to fans, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“I used to think that songs like ‘King Solomon’s Marbles’ were just jams and conversations on the spot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
A phone call would be a lot worse mostly because it puts you on the spot and interrupts your day.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Although she was dressed in a ruffled, all-white dress, they thankfully did not get married on the spot.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
She never knew a thing like that could happen, she said, and it made her so nervous that she just quit her job, right on the spot.
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
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.
