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

Sources told Variety at the time that the initial cut ran nearly 150 minutes but showed immense promise, and that a tighter second version shown in the weeks prior appeared to have hit the sweet spot. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026

Zagara Beauty Spa is tiny but hits all the spa sweet spots, offering facials, body wraps and massages. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2026

However, there’s also a non-modular 8BitDo Ultimate 3 for $99, which may end up being a sweet spot for more budget-conscious gamers who don’t need to tinker as much. — Brad Bourque, The Verge, 28 Oct. 2026

The track begins with an eerie, atmospheric guitar clang, but Gosling and his bandmate, Zach Shields, quickly pick up the pace, finding a sweet spot between unvarnished post-punk production and arena-sized emotions. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2026

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