spot
Americannoun
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spots
plural
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a rounded mark or stain made by foreign matter, as mud, blood, paint, ink, etc.; a blot or speck.
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something that mars one's character or reputation; blemish; flaw.
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a small blemish, mole, or lesion on the skin or other surface.
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a small, circumscribed mark caused by disease, allergic reaction, decay, etc.
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a comparatively small, usually roundish, part of a surface differing from the rest in color, texture, character, etc..
a bald spot.
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a place or locality.
A monument marks the spot where Washington slept.
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Usually spots places of entertainment or sightseeing interest.
We went to a few spots to dance and see the floor shows.
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a specific position in a sequence or hierarchy.
The choral group has the second spot on the program, right after the dancers. He moved up from second spot to become president of the firm.
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Cards.
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one of various traditional, geometric drawings of a club, diamond, heart, or spade on a playing card for indicating suit and value.
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any playing card from a two through a ten.
He drew a jack, a queen, and a three spot.
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a pip, as on dice or dominoes.
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Slang. a piece of paper money, almost always indicated as a five- or ten-dollar bill.
Can you loan me a five spot until payday?
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Also called spot illustration. a small drawing, usually black and white, appearing within or accompanying a text.
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Chiefly British Informal.
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a small quantity of anything.
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a drink.
a spot of tea.
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a small croaker, Leiostomus xanthurus, of the eastern coast of the U.S., used as a food fish.
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Informal. spots, commodities, as grain, wool, and soybeans, sold for immediate delivery.
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Informal. spotlight.
verb (used with object)
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spots,
present (3rd person singular)
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spotted,
past participle, past
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spotting
present participle
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to stain or mark with spots.
The grease spotted my dress.
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to remove a spot or spots from (clothing), especially before dry cleaning.
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to sully; blemish.
- Synonyms:
- tarnish, soil, stigmatize, taint, stain
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to mark or diversify with spots or dots, as of color.
We spotted the wall with blue paint.
- Synonyms:
- speckle
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to detect or recognize; locate or identify by seeing.
to spot a hiding child.
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to place or position on a particular place.
to spot a billiard ball.
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to stop (a railroad car) at the exact place required.
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to scatter in various places.
to spot chairs here and there in the room.
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Informal. spotlight.
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Military.
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to determine (a location) precisely on either the ground or a map.
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to observe (the results of gunfire at or near a target) for the purpose of correcting aim.
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Photography. to remove spots from (a negative or print) by covering with opaque color.
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Sports. to give or grant a certain margin or advantage to (an opponent).
He spotted the tyro 12 points a game. The champion won, although spotting the challenger twenty pounds.
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(in gymnastics) to watch or assist (a performer) in order to prevent injury.
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Slang. to lend.
Can you spot me twenty for tonight's game?
verb (used without object)
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spots,
present (3rd person singular)
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spotted,
past participle, past
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spotting
present participle
adjective
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Radio, Television.
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pertaining to the point of origin of a local broadcast.
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broadcast between announced programs.
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made, paid, delivered, etc., at once.
a spot sale; spot goods.
idioms
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in a (bad) spot, in an uncomfortable or dangerous predicament.
The tourists found themselves in a bad spot after they lost their money in Las Vegas.
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knock spots off, to outdo easily; beat.
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on the spot,
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without delay; at once; instantly.
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at the very place in question.
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in a difficult or embarrassing position.
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in a position of being expected to act or to respond in some way.
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hit the high spots, to deal with or include only the major points of interest.
With but a limited amount of vacation time, he concentrated on hitting the high spots of Europe.
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hit the spot, to satisfy a want or need, as to quench thirst.
Iced tea hits the spot during the hot summer months.
noun
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a small mark on a surface, such as a circular patch or stain, differing in colour or texture from its surroundings
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a geographical area that is restricted in extent
a beauty spot
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a location
this is the exact spot on which he died
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a blemish of the skin, esp a pimple or one occurring through some disease
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a blemish on the character of a person; moral flaw
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informal a place of entertainment
we hit all the night spots
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informal a small quantity or amount
a spot of lunch
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informal an awkward situation
that puts me in a bit of a spot
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a short period between regular television or radio programmes that is used for advertising
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a position or length of time in a show assigned to a specific performer
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short for spotlight
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Also called: spot ball. the white ball that is distinguished from the plain by a mark or spot
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the player using this ball
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billiards snooker one of several small black dots on a table that mark where a ball is to be placed
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(modifier)
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denoting or relating to goods, currencies, or securities available for immediate delivery and payment See also spot market spot price
spot goods
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involving immediate cash payment
spot sales
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(used mainly in negative constructions) to reform one's character
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an outstanding event
the high spot of the holiday was the visit to the winery
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to outstrip or outdo with ease
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immediately
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at the place in question
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in the best possible position to deal with a situation
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in an awkward predicament
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without moving from the place of one's location, etc
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( as modifier )
our on-the-spot reporter
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a special sympathetic affection or weakness for a person or thing
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a serious, difficult, or dangerous situation
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some aspect of a character or situation that is susceptible to criticism
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a flaw in a person's knowledge
classics is my weak spot
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verb
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(tr) to observe or perceive suddenly, esp under difficult circumstances; discern
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to put stains or spots upon (something)
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(intr) (of some fabrics) to be susceptible to spotting by or as if by water
silk spots easily
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(tr) to place here and there
they spotted observers along the border
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to look out for and note (trains, talent, etc)
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(intr) to rain slightly; spit
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(tr) billiards to place (a ball) on one of the spots
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military to adjust fire in order to correct deviations from (the target) by observation
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informal (tr) to yield (an advantage or concession) to (one's opponent)
to spot someone a piece in chess
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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spotsimple
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spotssimple
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have spottedperfect
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has spottedperfect
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am spottingprogressive
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are spottingprogressive
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is spottingprogressive
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have been spottingperfect progressive
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has been spottingperfect progressive
Past
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spottedsimple
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had spottedperfect
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was spottingprogressive
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were spottingprogressive
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had been spottingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spot
First recorded in 1150–1200; (for the noun) Middle English spotte; cognate with Middle Dutch, Low German spot “speck,” Old Norse spotti “bit”; (for the verb) late Middle English spotten “to stain, mark,” derivative of the noun
Explanation
A spot is a particular place or a small, round mark. You might pick a nice, shady spot in the woods for a picnic. But if you spot a better place by the lake, get moving! Spots on your face might be pimples—or maybe mosquito bites you got walking in a swampy spot. Another kind of spot is a small part of something, like the bright spot in your miserable day, or the bald spot on someone’s head. Spot is also shorthand for "spotlight" and slang for money, as in "He handed me a ten spot." To spot something is to see it: "When you spot the ice cream truck, call me!"
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:
It could also be training guards to spot suspicious people who may be casing a museum and ask them if they need help, which may deter them from returning.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Tommy Edman is doing quite well in the leadoff spot and should remain there when Shohei Ohtani returns to the lineup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
Dresser said it’s a matter of “finding their kryptonite” — the sweet spot that guarantees they’ll have a good time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
A Danish journalist challenged herself to spot each type of butterfly native to her country—from painted ladies to sooty coppers—in a single year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
I’ve been sitting slumped as low as possible in my seat, hoping she wouldn’t spot me, but she did.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
"When such charged droplets strike a coating, they discharge locally and can puncture the layer in specific spots like a small flash of lightning -- with consequences for the coating's durability."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
The poor performance of India’s equities has a lot to do with market composition, with banks holding six of the top 15 index spots.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Minor flooding is most likely in some coastal areas, especially in low-lying spots in Long Beach, Malibu and around Point Mugu, the weather service warned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Crew will often strip and recoat worn spots during port calls, something that likely wasn’t possible during the Lincoln’s many months at sea, Clark said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
A minute later, I think I have the Grapetastic Geyser spots on my collar and hoodie under control and head to math.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
The BBC spoke to two trekkers who spotted the climbers scaling Broad Peak.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Initially declared a success with "no visible alteration" to the 70-metre-long tapestry following its arrival, France last week said two broken threads were spotted during a full condition check.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
When his adult son who happened to be working at Tatte stopped by with a question, Shaich zeroed in on a shadow of stubble he spotted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The orangutans were rescued early on Tuesday in Balasore district after local people spotted them and alerted forest officials.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The landscape had a bleak splendor—rocky cliffs, spotted with hardy-looking trees which grew, windswept, amid the stone.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Surveillance footage from that day shows Paxton spotting the pen and pocketing it swiftly.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
On Saturday, visitors alerted staff after spotting 10 Nile crocodiles hatching without any human intervention.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
You couldn't walk down the main street without spotting some of the courtroom's stars, or grab a coffee without overhearing chatter about the case.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
People close to Atallah describe him as someone with a knack for spotting emerging technology trends early.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Below him in the Victorian house, the falcon fan club was peering through the spotting scope in Molly’s room.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
