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 of spot blotch, dapple, dot, eyespot, fleck, mottle, patch, pip, point, speck, speckle, splotch Words Related to spot 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 of spot bind, box, catch-22, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, impasse, jackpot [chiefly West], jam, mire, pickle, quagmire, rabbit hole, rattrap, predicament, sticky wicket, swampWords Related to spot 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 of spot blot, brand, onus, slur, smirch, smudge, stain, stigma, taintWords Related to spot black eye, discredit, disesteem, disgrace, dishonor, disrepute, guilt, ignominy, infamy, obloquy, odium, opprobrium, reproach, shame; corruption, debauchery, depravity, immorality, iniquity, licentiousness, sin, unscrupulousness, viceNear Antonyms of spot 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 of spot 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, particle, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, traceWords Related to spot 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, shavingNear Antonyms of spot 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 of spot emplacement, locale, locality, location, locus, point, position, site, place, venue, whereWords Related to spot scene; precinct, region, section, sector; here, there

1 to mark with small spots especially unevenly to give the effect of sunlight on water, the artist spotted the lake in his painting with flecks of gold paint Synonyms of spot blotch, dapple, dot, fleck, freckle, marble, mottle, pepper, shoot, speck, speckle, splotch, sprinkle, stipple Words Related to spot blot, dye, stain; band, bar, streak, stripe; intersperse, set, stud; bespatter, spatter

2 to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes I spotted both of them as they tried to sneak out the back door Synonyms of spot behold, catch, descry, discern, distinguish, espy, eye, look (at), note, notice, observe, perceive, regard, remark, sight, see, spy, view, witnessWords Related to spot identify, make out, pick out, pick up; attend (to), consider, heed, mark, mind; study, watch; examine, inspect, scan, scrutinize, survey; glance (at), glimpse, peer (at)Near Antonyms of spot disregard, ignore, neglect, overpass, pass over; miss, overlook

3 to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on the TV networks had spotted reporters all over the state for the election Synonyms of spot bestrew, dot, pepper, sow, scatter, spray, sprinkle, strewWords Related to spot blanket, drizzle, dust; stud; dapple, fleck, speckle, stipple; bespatter, spatter