adjective
-
characterized by spots or marks, esp in having a pattern of spots
-
stained or blemished; soiled or bespattered
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spotted
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at spot, -ed 3
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.
He spotted a begonia poking through a burned fence on his neighbor’s property and snapped a photo, and soon he was accumulating more and more similar images.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026
The mockingbird, however, is easily spotted in his panhandle district.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
At the archaeological ruins of Nisa, an ancient fortress near the capital, Ashgabat, AFP spotted a Western tour group taking advantage of this tentative thaw.
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
Mary McGonigle-Martin was shopping in a Southern California grocery store in 2006 when she spotted ads suggesting McAfee’s milk could treat allergies and digestive problems.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
Her hands were small and lacked the strength to push the needle through the thickness of the cloth, and her fingers were spotted with blood where the needle had slipped.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
