spot market

American

noun

a market in which commodities, as grain, gold, or crude oil, are dealt in for cash and immediate delivery (distinguished from futures market).

spot market British

noun

commerce a market in which commodities, currencies, or securities are traded for immediate delivery Compare forward market

"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

Etymology

Origin of spot market

First recorded in 1935–40

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:

spot market

Even on the spot market, U.S. companies seem to have the upper hand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Continued strong demand in the container market, particularly in East Asia, and a recent sustained increase in spot market rates prompted Maersk to upgrade its outlook for 2026, the Danish shipping group said late Monday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

She said refiners were better off using reserves than buying expensive crude on the spot market, which often costs more than what they can charge for refined products.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Container ships are more likely to operate on time charters than the spot market.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

One of these is called the "spot" market; because the importers, brokers, jobbers, and roasters trading there deal in actual coffee in warehouses in the consuming country.

From All About Coffee by Ukers, William H. (William Harrison)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023