on the dot

1. Exactly on time, as in We had to be there at eight on the dot. The dot in this idiom is the mark appearing on the face of a watch or clock indicating the time in question. It may come from the earlier to a dot, meaning “exactly” since the early 1700s but no longer heard today. [c. 1900] Also see on the button.

Example Sentences

At 10 a.m. on the dot, an employee opens the door and the all-day parade begins.

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“Tomorrow is actually one year on the dot since I met him.”

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We caught up with fans ahead of the three-hour show — Knight opened at 7 p.m. on the dot.

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As a three-hour program — Knight opened at 7 p.m. on the dot — Sunday’s show moved quickly, with a rotating stage that whirred to life after each woman’s set.

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Emily also says she got phone calls from “multiple family members at nine on the dot”, which she found really frustrating.

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Related Words

• absolutely 
• altogether 
• carefully 
• completely 
• correctly www.thesaurus.com
• definitely 
• explicitly 
• indeed 
• literally 
• precisely 
• quite 
• specifically 
• strictly 
• totally 
• truly