spotter

American  

[spot-er] / ˈspɒt ər /

noun

• spotters
  plural

1. a person employed to remove spots from clothing, especially at a dry-cleaning establishment.

2. (in civil defense) a civilian who watches for enemy airplanes.

3. Informal. a person employed to watch the activity and behavior of others, especially employees, as for evidence of dishonesty.

4. Military. an observer at a forward position who singles out targets for gunners.

5. a person or thing that spots.

6. (in small-arms practice firing) a small black disk attached to the target to make more prominent the places where a bullet has hit.

7. an assistant to a sportscaster who provides the names of the players chiefly involved in each play of a game, especially a football game.

8. Gymnastics, Tumbling. a person who is stationed in the most effective place to guard against an injury to a performer in the act of executing a maneuver.

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spotter British  

/ ˈspɒtə /

noun

1. 1. a person or thing that watches or observes

   2. ( as modifier )

      a spotter plane

2. a person who makes a hobby of watching for and noting numbers or types of trains, buses, etc

   a train spotter

3. military a person who orders or advises adjustment of fire on a target by observations

4. a person, esp one engaged in civil defence, who watches for enemy aircraft

5. informal an employee assigned to spy on his colleagues in order to check on their honesty

6. films

   1. a person who checks against irregularities and inconsistencies

   2. a person who searches for new material, performers, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spotters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of spotter

First recorded in 1605–15; spot + -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spotter spotters

But Mr. David also excelled as a talent spotter and mentor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The macro and thematic equity research group was founded by investor and trend spotter James van Geelen, who identified AI as a game changer in 2022 and spotted diet drugs early in 2023.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 2026

The surge of immigration detention flights at Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport spurred plane spotter Nick Benson to shift from tracking rare and unusual aircraft to cataloging the removal of detainees from Minnesota.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

A helicopter spotter eventually saw Paredes jumping into a plastic trashcan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025

There was a spotter plane, looking for sharks from above.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

But his instincts made him one of the surest spotters and nurturers of talent in pop history.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

“I’d see a convoy of 20 or 30 SUVs and spotters, cellphone in hand, ready to give the alarm.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

Kane and her fellow spotters publish the locations of officers and raids underway in an effort to document arrests and de-escalate the encounters with their presence.

From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026

Now there’s spotters to make sure no hawks are nearby.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025

If you have ability, the vast network of hockey scouts and talent spotters will find you, and if you are willing to work to develop that ability, the system will reward you.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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