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:
A win would earn England a semi-final spot, where they would most likely face New Zealand, who beat them in the last four of the previous World Cup in 2022.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The 35 mph speed limit forces a leisurely pace, making it easy to spot trailheads along the way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Times article, a writer described the City Spa as an unexpected Hollywood power-player hot spot, frequented by Jeremy Piven, John Travolta and deal-hungry agents gathered around a TV in togas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Other rankings of the best places to retire earlier this year highlighted Florida, with Orlando taking the top spot in WalletHub’s recent study due to favorable taxes and access to quality healthcare.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Parking his truck in an open spot near the middle of the row, he flipped the key in the ignition and turned to Harry.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Some within the sport argue Williams is taking spots from younger players trying to develop their careers, but tournament organisers see the commercial value of inviting an all-time great.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
For decades, immigrant-frequented spots like Voda in West Hollywood and City Spa on Pico Boulevard have served as gathering places for Eastern European communities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
“Whether that comfort prioritizes scenic nature spots, access to multicultural experiences, or everyday affordability, places like Midland, Michigan, offer financial safety while still providing a good quality of life.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Indeed the only real bright spots in this entire book are the Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
He’s looking at the spots on the hoodie draped over the sink.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
The team spotted unusually large, whitish reproductive structures, known as 'stromata', growing from the woody roots of Chinese cork oak trees.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
The team first spotted ace driver Kimi Antonelli as an 11-year-old in go-karts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
As September drew to an end, she hadn't been seen feeding for days and was spotted with bloody abrasions on her snout from bumping into the concrete walls.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Of the 28 files about unidentified anomalous phenomena released Friday, four of them detail bizarre sightings from Catalina during the 1940s and 1950s, including one of “flying saucers” spotted by three Boy Scouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Then out on one of my trail runs, I spotted him up ahead, so I started running every day just to glimpse him—but once again, just look-aways.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Referee Michael Salisbury stopped proceedings with one minute and 40 seconds on the clock after spotting the drone flying above the pitch while Arsenal waited to take a free-kick at Highbury Stadium.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Janko recalled the nerve-racking moment of spotting the other couple across the mall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The hoofed Highlanders have been embraced as an unofficial mascot on campus, with Reddit threads dedicated to donkey spotting and burro plushies for sale in the campus store.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
He said a fellow villager had alerted police in the middle of the night after spotting the vans.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
I can recall spotting from some distance - long before reaching the steps where my father had once fallen - Miss Kenton's figure moving about inside the summerhouse.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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