Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

spot

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms 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 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, predicament, quagmire, rabbit hole, rattrap, sticky wicket, swamp
Words 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
Phrases Synonymous with spot

kettle of fish
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, taint
Words 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, vice
Near 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, particle, peanuts, ray, scintilla, scruple, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smack, smell, smidgen (also smidgeon), snap, soupçon, spark, spatter, speck, splash, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, touch, trace
Words 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, shaving
Phrases Synonymous with spot

drop in the bucket
Near 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, place, point, position, site, venue, where
Words Related to spot

scene

precinct, region, section, sector

here, there

spot

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of spot

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, see, sight, spy, view, witness
Words 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)
Phrases Synonymous with spot

get a load of [slang], lay eyes on, set eyes on
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, scatter, sow, spray, sprinkle, strew
Words Related to spot

blanket, drizzle, dust

stud

dapple, fleck, speckle, stipple

bespatter, spatter

Learn More about spot

  1. See words that rhyme with spot Dictionary: Definition of spot Medical Dictionary: Definition of spot Spanish Central: Translation of spot Nglish: Translation of spot for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of spot for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spot

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up spot? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

magniloquent

Listen to the pronounciation of magniloquent

grandiloquent, ostentatious, or bombastic

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. exonerate Barr summarizes Mueller report

  2. catamount Vermont enters the Round of 64

  3. mendacious, mendacity George Conway calls Trump a liar

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games