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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Pushing trips later into October or the first week of November could be a sweet spot for fare savings. Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Sep. 2026 The film, heavy with grief and radiant with adventure, isn’t just in Laika’s tonal sweet spot. ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Striking the perfect balance between sporty and stylish, the best red sneakers sit in the sweet spot between casual staple and bold accessory. Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 2 Sep. 2026 Based on its trailer, Wild Horse Nine, which premieres in competition on September 3, seems to find McDonagh back in his sweet spot, helming a pitch-black comedy about two charismatic men wrestling with their dark pasts. Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sweet spot

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of sweet spot was in 1919

Cite this Entry

“Sweet spot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweet%20spot. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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