What does "spot" mean?
A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.
Spot
/spɑt/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.
- Grammar: spot is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: descry, espy, make out, place.
- Useful contrasts: approximate, confuse, deny.
- Usage evidence: Anyone breaking the rules will be asked to leave on the spot.
How to use "spot"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "spot" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "spot" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "spot" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "spot" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "spot" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "descry" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "spot", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.
"The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur."
- 2 an act that brings discredit to the person who does it wordnet
- 3 A stain or disfiguring mark.
"I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out."
- 4 a business establishment for entertainment wordnet
- 5 A pimple, papule or pustule.
"That morning, I saw that a spot had come up on my chin."
Show 31 more definitions
- 6 a playing card with a specified number of pips on it to indicate its value wordnet
- 7 A symbol on a playing card, domino, die, etc. indicating its value; a pip.
- 8 a lamp that produces a strong beam of light to illuminate a restricted area; used to focus attention of a stage performer wordnet
- 9 A small, unspecified amount or quantity.
"Do come 'round on Sunday for a spot of tea, won't you?"
- 10 a small contrasting part of something wordnet
- 11 A bill of five-dollar or ten-dollar denomination in dollars. US, slang
"Here's the twenty bucks I owe you, a ten spot and two five spots."
- 12 a blemish made by dirt wordnet
- 13 A location or area.
"I like to eat lunch in a pleasant spot outside."
- 14 an outstanding characteristic wordnet
- 15 A parking space.
"Del Valle has the blessing of a garage, so he doesn't have to claim “dibs” on shoveled street spots himself, he said."
- 16 a section of an entertainment that is assigned to a specific performer or performance wordnet
- 17 An official determination of placement.
"The fans were very unhappy with the referee's spot of the ball."
- 18 a short section or illustration (as between radio or tv programs or in a magazine) that is often used for advertising wordnet
- 19 A bright lamp; a spotlight.
- 20 a mark on a die or on a playing card (shape depending on the suit) wordnet
- 21 A brief advertisement or program segment on television. US
"Did you see the spot on the news about the shoelace factory?"
- 22 a point located with respect to surface features of some region wordnet
- 23 A difficult situation.
"She was in a real spot when she ran into her separated husband while on a date."
- 24 a small piece or quantity of something wordnet
- 25 One who spots (supports or assists a maneuver, or is prepared to assist if safety dictates); a spotter.
- 26 a slight attack of illness wordnet
- 27 Penalty spot.
"The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot."
- 28 The act of spotting or noticing something.
"You've misspelled "terrapin" here. —Whoops. Good spot."
- 29 A variety of the common domestic pigeon, so called from a spot on its head just above the beak.
- 30 A food fish (Leiostomus xanthurus) of the Atlantic coast of the United States, with a black spot behind the shoulders and fifteen oblique dark bars on the sides.
- 31 The southern redfish, or red horse (Sciaenops ocellatus), which has a spot on each side at the base of the tail.
- 32 Commodities, such as merchandise and cotton, sold for immediate delivery. dated, in-plural
- 33 An autosoliton.
- 34 A decimal point; point.
"Twelve spot two five pounds sterling."
- 35 Any of various points marked on the table, from which balls are played, in snooker, pool, billiards, etc.
- 36 Any of the balls marked with spots in the game of pool, which one player aims to pot, the other player taking the stripes.
Verb
- 1 To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify. transitive
"Try to spot the differences between these two pictures."
- 2 mark with a spot or spots so as to allow easy recognition wordnet
- 3 To loan a small amount of money to someone. US, ditransitive, slang
"I’ll spot you ten dollars for lunch."
- 4 become spotted wordnet
- 5 To stain; to leave a spot (on). ambitransitive
"Hard water will spot if it is left on a surface."
Show 17 more definitions
- 6 make a spot or mark onto wordnet
- 7 To cover with spots, to speckle. transitive
"No palm-tree rose to spot the wilderness; […]"
- 8 mar or impair with a flaw wordnet
- 9 To experience vaginal spotting; to expel blood from the vagina.
""If you've got regular periods with an IUD that's fine, but if you're starting to spot or get quite a regular loss, then it should be carefully investigated." (Last)"
- 10 catch sight of wordnet
- 11 To rain slightly, in scattered, infrequent drops, for example when first beginning to rain. dialectal
"And it is beginning to spot with rain. I must start work on a shelter."
- 12 detect with the senses wordnet
- 13 To remove, or attempt to remove, a stain. transitive
"I spotted the carpet where the child dropped spaghetti."
- 14 To retouch a photograph on film to remove minor flaws. transitive
- 15 To support or assist a maneuver, or to be prepared to assist if safety dictates. transitive
"I can’t do a back handspring unless somebody spots me."
- 16 To keep the head and eyes pointing in a single direction while turning. transitive
"Most figure skaters do not spot their turns like dancers do."
- 17 To stain; to blemish; to taint; to disgrace; to tarnish, as reputation. transitive
"Link not me in self same chain / With the wicked-working folk, / Who their spotted thoughts do cloak."
- 18 To cut or chip (timber) in preparation for hewing. transitive
- 19 To place (an object) at a location indicated by a spot. transitive
"The referee had to spot the pink on the blue spot."
- 20 Of a ball, to be capable of being placed on its own spot. intransitive
"The black ball won't spot – the green is in the way."
- 21 To position (an aircraft) on the deck of an aircraft carrier ready for launch by catapult. transitive
"The aircraft is spotted on the catapult, and the console operator turns the crank to FIRST READY, causing the exhaust valve to close."
- 22 To position (a locomotive or car) at a predetermined point, e.g., for loading or unloading. transitive
Adjective
- 1 Available on the spot; for immediate payment or delivery. not-comparable
"spot wheat"
- 2 Exact; precise. informal, not-comparable
"The other bus meets yours at the intersection within one minute; it's a spot connection, and you might not make it."
Proper Noun
- 1 A popular given name for a dog
Antonyms
Example
"Anyone breaking the rules will be asked to leave on the spot."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "spot"?
Common synonyms include: descry, espy, make out, place, speckle, spy.
How do you use "spot" in a sentence?
Anyone breaking the rules will be asked to leave on the spot.
How do you pronounce "spot"?
Pronounced /spɑt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English spot, spotte, partially from Middle Dutch spotte (“spot, speck”), and partially merging with Middle English splot, from Old English splott (“spot, plot of land”), from Proto-West Germanic *splott, from Proto-Germanic *spluttaz (“segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *splt-no- (“an off-split, segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to split”). Cognate with North Frisian spot (“speck, piece of ground”), Low German spot (“speck”), Old Norse spotti (“small piece”). See also splot, splotch.
Etymology 2
From spot.