DEFINITIONS
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spec

[ spek ]
/ spɛk /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR spec ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Usually specs. specification(def 2).
speculation.

adjective

built, done, bought, etc., as a speculation: the construction of spec houses.

verb (used with object), spec'd or specked or specced, spec'·ing or speck·ing or spec·cing.

to provide specifications for: Their newest truck was spec'd by a computer.

Content related to spec

How To Use ParallelismsWhen writers use very similar wording across several sentences or lines of poetry, it’s known as parallel sentence structure. Doing this creates rhythm and balance. Parallel sentence structures are also known as parallelisms. Simple parallelisms may be as short as words or phrases. More complex ones may combine entire clauses or sentences. Parallel sentence structures can highlight aspects of stories and poems in many ways. …
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Blue SteelRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
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Words related to spec

speculate, gamble, play, plunge, dare, hazard, venture, shoot, set, pledge, lay, stake, chance, game, adventure, hedge, parlay, risk, hustle, spec

Words nearby spec

spearman's rank-order coefficient, spearmint, spearpoint, spears, spearwort, spec, spec sheet, spec., speccy, special, special act

Idioms for spec

    on spec, made, built, or done with hopes of but no assurance of payment or a sale; without commitment by a client or buyer: ad illustrations done on spec; luxury homes built on spec and sold before completion.

Origin of spec

An Americanism dating back to 1785–95; by shortening

OTHER WORDS FROM spec

spec·’er, speck·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for spec'ing

spec
/ (spɛk) informal /

noun

on spec as a speculation or gambleall the tickets were sold so I went to the theatre on spec

adjective

(prenominal) Australian and NZ speculativea spec developer

Word Origin for spec

C19: short for speculation or speculative
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with spec'ing

spec

see on spec.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.