sweet spot

noun

plural sweet spots

1

sports : the area around the center of mass of a bat, a racket, or the head of a club that is the most effective part with which to hit a ball

If the bat connects near its sweet spot … it vibrates very little, much as a tennis racket feels solid if you hit the ball on the racket's sweet spot.

—Sharon Begley

The shape of the clubhead has a pronounced effect on [golf] shots that are not hit out of the sweet spot of the club …

—Steen Winther

2

: an ideal or most favorable location, level, area, or combination of factors for a particular activity or purpose

We are in that sweet spot of December in which you're (hopefully) full of the holiday spirit but without the stress of having to spend every waking moment with your family.

—Katie Yee

To seafood men, Fulton is the jewel of the Atlantic coast, the sweet spot on the seaboard, and the best fish from Maine to Florida rolls into the markets in refrigerated trucks.

—Jonathan Gold

"We are considering a lot of options with the site," says Zach Nelson, executive vice president of marketing. "I think we are right in the sweet spot of what's required to make e-business happen."

—Daniel Roth

The winery in Rutherford, best known for its loamy Cabernet Sauvignon, has a sweet spot of 8 acres for Chardonnay, which has produced spectacular wines.

—James Laube

Examples of sweet spot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The sweet spot between a wristlet and a full-size purse, this slightly larger version of Lululemon’s original belt bag gets praise for its ability to pack a lot of goods while still being comfortable and cute. —Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Nov. 2025

Lancôme has always been an iconic brand that’s found that sweet spot between classic and current, offering elegant formulas and sensorial textures that nail it from the very first swipe. —Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 19 Nov. 2025

The sweet spot is at about 1 o’clock on the gain knob. —The Atlantic, 19 Nov. 2025

But being in this sweet spot doesn’t automatically mean a planet is hospitable to life. —Morgan Underwood, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for sweet spot

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot