sweet spot
Americannoun
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Sports. the spot on a club, racket, bat, etc., where a ball is most effectively hit.
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a point, range, or particular set of conditions that will achieve the most desirable or effective outcome.
The trick is finding the sweet spot between making the puzzle challenging but not impossible.
noun
Etymology
Origin of sweet spot
First recorded in 1920–25
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.
Since then, the reservation system has been tweaked repeatedly as administrators searched for a sweet spot between welcoming more visitors and retaining the peace of the great outdoors.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
With a high five from Jost’s Hegseth, the line landed well, cutting through the sketch’s chaos with a joke that felt both pointed and intentionally over the top — that “SNL” sweet spot.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
That is how many liters of Coke—or other beverages—that Braun said can hit the sweet spot for budget-minded consumers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
“If you can spread your conversions out over a three- to five-year period right before retirement, that is often the sweet spot for conversion,” Hopkins said.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
“This would be a sweet spot for a music video.”
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
