1
: a taint on character or reputation : fault
the only spot on the family name
2
a
: a small area visibly different (as in color, finish, or material) from the surrounding area
b(1)
: an area marred or marked (as by dirt)
(2)
: a circumscribed surface lesion of disease (such as measles) or decay
spots of rot
rust spots on a leaf
c
: a conventionalized design used on playing cards to distinguish the suits and indicate values
3
: an object having a specified number of spots or a specified numeral on its surface
4
: a small quantity or amount : bit
5
a
: a particular place, area, or part
b
: a small extent of space
6
plural usually spot
: a small croaker (Leiostomus xanthurus) of the Atlantic coast with a black spot behind the opercula
7
a
: a particular position (as in an organization or a hierarchy)
b
: a place or appearance on an entertainment program
8
9
: a position usually of difficulty or embarrassment
10
: a brief announcement or advertisement broadcast between scheduled radio or television programs
11
: a brief segment or report on a broadcast especially of news
spotted; spotting
1
: to stain the character or reputation of : disgrace
2
: to mark in or with a spot : stain
The snow was spotted with blood.
His pants were spotted with mud.
3
: to locate or identify by a spot
4
a
: to single out : identify
especially
: to note as a known criminal or a suspicious person
c(1)
: to locate accurately
spot an enemy position
(2)
: to cause to strike accurately
spot the battery's fire
d
: to watch or assist (someone) during athletic competition or exercise (as for gymnastics or weight lifting) especially to prevent injury
She's the darling of the weight room wherever she works out, spotting guys twice her size.—
Rick Reilly
Rick Reilly5
a
: to lie at intervals in or over : stud
small boats spotting the harbor
b
: to place at intervals or in a desired spot
spot field telephones
c
: to fix in or as if in the beam of a spotlight
d
: to schedule in a particular spot or at a particular time
spotted the main act at 9 p.m.
e
football
: to put (the football) at the appropriate place on the field in preparation for the next play
The official spotted the ball at the 10-yard line.
6
: to remove a spot from
7
a
: to give a specified advantage to (an opponent) : to allow as a handicap (see handicap entry 1 sense 1b)
She spotted me five points and still beat me easily.
spot him two strokes a hole in golf
b
informal
: to lend (someone) a usually small amount of money
Can you spot me five bucks?
1
: to become stained or discolored in spots
Fungus caused the leaves to spot.
2
: to cause a spot
a detergent that always spots
3
: to act as a spotter
especially
: to locate targets
4
: to experience abnormal and sporadic bleeding in small amounts from the uterus
1
a
: being, originating, or done on the spot or in or for a particular spot
spot coverage of the news
b
: available for immediate delivery after sale
spot commodities
c(1)
: paid out upon delivery
spot cash
(2)
: involving immediate cash payment
a spot transaction
d(1)
: broadcast between scheduled programs
spot announcements
(2)
: originating in a local station for a national advertiser
e
: performing occasionally when needed
a spot starter
2
: made at random or restricted to a few places or instances
a spot check
also
: selected at random or as a sample
Synonyms
Examples of spot in a Sentence
Noun
The wood still has some rough spots.
The chair's original paint is still visible in spots.
He fell through a weak spot in the ice.
The tablecloth had a couple of spots.
There were mud spots on the back of his pants.
rust spots on the metal
I noticed some red spots on my arms.
spots of rot on the leaf
a teenager with spots on his face
This looks like a good spot for a picnic.
Verb
She spotted a deer in the woods.
The band's lead singer was recently spotted with a well-known actress.
They spotted us five points, and we still lost.
I'm a little short of cash. Can you spot me five bucks?
The official spotted the ball at the 10-yard line.
Adjective
the difference between futures and spot commodities
the spot price of wheat
Recent Examples on the WebTravis Hall, Field & Stream, 12 Apr. 2024
General symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a rash of red spots.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The project there was one of 20 at various spots along the 17-mile stretch in a single day.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Most recently, Tony Monaco, the restaurateur behind such Orange County spots as the Blind Pig and the Trough, announced plans to open Monaco Italian Kitchen inside Centerview.
—Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
After that period, Sprouts will evaluate the performance of the snack to determine whether it should be moved to a spot on the main shelves.
—Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024
Mining structures will be visible from the Lake of the Clouds overlook, one of the most popular spots in the park.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
Snow levels will drop to about 4,500 feet in elevation Saturday night to Sunday, but those lower spots aren’t expected to see much accumulation, Lund said.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Organizers said a limited number of participant spots exist.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Ayana Archie, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
The duo was spotted arriving for their first day of shooting in Los Angeles.
—Philipp Wehsack, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
Sheriff’s officials said a passerby spotted the body within an orchard near the road.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
Not long after, Simpson was spotted driving with a friend in the now-infamous white Bronco.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
They were spotted by Australian and U.S. aircraft and safely returned home.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Officers were called about the crash and spotted the injured deer on the side of the road, police said.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Their mom, Donna Kelce, was spotted on UC's campus ahead of the event.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 11 Apr. 2024
Travelers will then venture onto the Shenandoah Valley for a hike to Whiteoak Canyon, including spotting waterfalls, as well as exploring caverns.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
Peter Cohan, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
The crypto market is booming The emergence of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the country has been a boon for the crypto market, which had experienced a major crisis over the previous few years.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Over $6 billion has entered the cryptocurrency market since trading started for spot Bitcoin ETFs.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
Bitcoin’s blistering rally produced record inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs — and cemented the investor favorites in this new asset class.
—Elijah Nicholson-Messmer, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2024
BlackRock filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday for a spot bitcoin ETF, which would hold the cryptocurrency as the underlying asset and track its price.
—Jack Pitcher, WSJ, 15 June 2023
Unlike regular bitcoin ETFs, in which bitcoin futures contracts are the underlying asset, bitcoins are the underlying asset of a spot bitcoin ETF.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024
The inflows underscore the growing — and steady — appetite for spot Bitcoin ETFs.
—Isabelle Lee, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024
Investor focus has squarely been on whether the U.S. securities regulator will soon approve a spot bitcoin ETF, which would throw open the market to millions more investors and draw billions in investments.
—Reuters, NBC News, 2 Jan. 2024
Noun
At another spot near a U.S. Forest Service access site, officers found a 5- and a 6-point bull elk—one of which was hidden under a pile of brush in attempt to conceal the crime.
—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 12 Apr. 2024
General symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a rash of red spots.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The project there was one of 20 at various spots along the 17-mile stretch in a single day.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Most recently, Tony Monaco, the restaurateur behind such Orange County spots as the Blind Pig and the Trough, announced plans to open Monaco Italian Kitchen inside Centerview.
—Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
After that period, Sprouts will evaluate the performance of the snack to determine whether it should be moved to a spot on the main shelves.
—Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024
Mining structures will be visible from the Lake of the Clouds overlook, one of the most popular spots in the park.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024
Snow levels will drop to about 4,500 feet in elevation Saturday night to Sunday, but those lower spots aren’t expected to see much accumulation, Lund said.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Organizers said a limited number of participant spots exist.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
Crews searched an area of more than 78,000 square nautical miles, and the Navy aircraft spotted the trio's palm leaf message the following day.
—Ayana Archie, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
The duo was spotted arriving for their first day of shooting in Los Angeles.
—Philipp Wehsack, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
Sheriff’s officials said a passerby spotted the body within an orchard near the road.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
Not long after, Simpson was spotted driving with a friend in the now-infamous white Bronco.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
They were spotted by Australian and U.S. aircraft and safely returned home.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Officers were called about the crash and spotted the injured deer on the side of the road, police said.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Their mom, Donna Kelce, was spotted on UC's campus ahead of the event.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 11 Apr. 2024
Travelers will then venture onto the Shenandoah Valley for a hike to Whiteoak Canyon, including spotting waterfalls, as well as exploring caverns.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
Adjective
If bitcoin ETFs continue to see inflows at their current rate, their total AUM could soon pass that of spot gold ETFs, Wells Fargo analysts wrote according to MarketWatch.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
The crypto market is booming The emergence of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the country has been a boon for the crypto market, which had experienced a major crisis over the previous few years.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Over $6 billion has entered the cryptocurrency market since trading started for spot Bitcoin ETFs.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
Bitcoin’s blistering rally produced record inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs — and cemented the investor favorites in this new asset class.
—Elijah Nicholson-Messmer, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2024
BlackRock filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday for a spot bitcoin ETF, which would hold the cryptocurrency as the underlying asset and track its price.
—Jack Pitcher, WSJ, 15 June 2023
Unlike regular bitcoin ETFs, in which bitcoin futures contracts are the underlying asset, bitcoins are the underlying asset of a spot bitcoin ETF.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024
The inflows underscore the growing — and steady — appetite for spot Bitcoin ETFs.
—Isabelle Lee, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024
Investor focus has squarely been on whether the U.S. securities regulator will soon approve a spot bitcoin ETF, which would throw open the market to millions more investors and draw billions in investments.
—Reuters, NBC News, 2 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spot
Cite this Entry
“Spot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spot. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spot
1 of 3 noun1
: something bad that others know about one : fault
2
a
: a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part
b
: an area marred or marked (as by dirt)
c
: a small diseased or decayed area on the body surface of a plant or animal
spots of rot on a leaf
spots of chicken pox
3
a
: a small quantity or amount
b
: a particular place
a good spot for a picnic
a sore spot
4
: a particular position (as in an organization or on a program)
6
: a position usually of difficulty or embarrassment
put someone in a spot
7
: a short broadcast announcement or advertisement
spot
2 of 3 verb
spotted; spotting
1
: to mark or become marked with or as if with spots
2
: to single out : identify
spot a friend in a crowd
spot
3 of 3 adjective1
a
: done on the spot
spot coverage of the news
b
: paid upon delivery
spot cash
c
: involving immediate cash payment
the spot market for oil
d
: broadcast between scheduled programs
spot announcements
2
: made from time to time or in a few places or instances
a spot check
Medical Definition
spot
1 of 2 noun
: a circumscribed mark or area: as
a
: a circumscribed surface lesion of disease (as measles)
b
: a circumscribed abnormality in an organ seen by means of X-rays or an instrument
X-rays revealed a spot on the lung
spot
2 of 2 intransitive verb
spotted; spotting
: to experience abnormal and sporadic bleeding in small amounts from the uterus
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