spot

spot

noun

Definition of SPOT

1

a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part <in summer the white coat of the snow leopard is studded with brownish black spots>

Synonyms blotch, dapple, dot, eyespot, fleck, mottle, patch, pip, point, speck, speckle, splotch

Related Words birthmark, freckle, mole; blob, blot, mark, smear, smudge, smutch, stain; spatter, splash; polka dot

2

a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape <we're in a bit of a spot right now with our mortgage payments>

Synonyms bind, box, catch-22, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, impasse, jackpot [chiefly West], jam, mire, pickle, quagmire, rabbit hole, rattrap, spot, sticky wicket, swamp

Related Words difficulty, node; hot water, soup; pinch, plight, quandary, scrape, trouble; deadlock, halt, logjam, stalemate, standstill; clutch, crisis, crossroad, emergency, exigency, juncture, strait

3

a mark of guilt or disgrace <scandalous conduct that will forever be a spot upon the family name>

Synonyms blot, brand, onus, slur, smirch, smudge, spot, stigma, taint

Related Words black eye, discredit, disesteem, disgrace, dishonor, disrepute, guilt, ignominy, infamy, obloquy, odium, opprobrium, reproach, shame; corruption, debauchery, depravity, immorality, iniquity, licentiousness, sin, unscrupulousness, vice

Near Antonyms award, credit, honor; chasteness, chastity, modesty, purity, stainlessness; good, right; honesty, integrity, legitimacy, probity, rectitude, scrupulousness, uprightness; goodness, righteousness, virtuousness; fame, glory, renown, repute

4

a very small amount <had only a spot of stew for dinner, as he wasn't very hungry>

Synonyms ace, bit, crumb, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, hint, lick, little, mite, nip, ounce, peanuts, ray, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge), snap, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, trace

Related Words hoot, iota, jot, minim, minimum, modicum, semblance, syllable, tittle, vestige, whit; atom, dot, fleck, flyspeck, grain, granule, molecule, morsel, mote, nubbin, patch, scrap; dash, drop, pinch; part, portion, section; bite, nibble, taste; handful, scattering, smatter, smattering; dose, shot; chip, flake, fragment, shard, shiver, sliver, smithereens, splinter; shred, tatter; clipping, paring, shaving

Near Antonyms abundance, barrel, boatload, bucket, bundle, bushel, deal, fistful, gobs, heaps, lashings (also lashins) [chiefly British], loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, oodles, passel, peck, pile, plenty, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, wad, wealth; volume; bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overflow, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus; chunk, hunk, lump, slab

5

the area or space occupied by or intended for something <the cat grabbed my spot on the couch the minute I stood up>

Synonyms emplacement, locale, locality, location, locus, point, position, site, spot, venue, where

Related Words scene; precinct, region, section, sector; here, there