spot check
noun
a random sampling or quick sample investigation.
Jump To:
-
spot check
-
spot-check
spot-checkverb (used with object)to examine or investigate by means of a spot check.
spot check
1 Americannoun
spot-check
2
American
[spot-chek]
/ ˈspɒtˌtʃɛk /
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
spot check
British
noun
-
a quick random examination
-
a check made without prior warning
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spot check1
First recorded in 1940–45
Origin of spot-check2
First recorded in 1940–45
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:
As part of the partnership, the city will waive collection of its Los Angeles Fire Department spot check fee, which currently costs $285.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
"I haven't seen any balloons, it hasn't affected us personally," the woman driver told me after the spot check.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2025
But a spot check of candy displays in multiple states __ including California, Virginia and Washington __ found no such signs.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 16, 2023
But without some reliance on automated methods, “You either have to spot check randomly, or you use your own human prejudice to choose what to check. And that’s not generally very fair.”
From Science Magazine ● May 9, 2023
The initial spot check notwithstanding, maybe there was something disturbingly wrong with this planet.
From The Unprotected Species by Sturgis, Melvin
In December 2021, a routine spot-check revealed items were missing in the Greece and Rome department and a top-secret second investigation was launched.
From BBC ● May 27, 2024
The team used these data and diver surveys to spot-check estimates of total extent gleaned from satellite data, which can be imprecise.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 2, 2022
Forcing ships back to shore sooner helps limit forced or trafficked labor, and enables companies and governments to spot-check for violence or abysmal working conditions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2022
Fitbit introduced stress tracking with the Sense in 2020, but that was more of a spot-check measurement.
From The Verge ● Aug. 24, 2022
They receive referrals from other departments and spot-check passengers’ luggage in the international arrivals terminal.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 25, 2018
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.
