as in discovery
the act or process of sighting or learning the existence of something for the first time
the spotting of a new bird is always a thrill for an avid bird-watcher
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in sprinkling
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 & Similar Words
2
as in noticing
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in spraying
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 & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of spotting
Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
Farther east, Amsterdamse Bos is a forest three times larger than Central Park, with lots of trails and wildlife spotting—and even a ropes-and-zip line course.
—Blane Bachelor, AFAR Media, 1 Oct. 2025
Capitol Reef was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2015, and autumn's cool, clear nights are a great time to go constellation spotting.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
In MLPerf Tiny benchmarks, the X160 Gen 2 reportedly delivered 2x the performance of competing solutions with a similar small footprint, across workloads like keyword spotting, image classification, and anomaly detection.
—Marco Chiappetta, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
As the inversion lifts in the afternoon, fire behavior will increase to the north and northeast, with group torching, spotting, and uphill runs in mixed conifer stands containing heavy dead and down material.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Kissing Bugs Kissing bugs are small, dark, wingless insects with reddish spotting.
—Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2025
Enjoy a Florida-style expedition at the 1,322-acre Micro Scrub Sanctuary, a natural scrubby flatwoods and mesic flatwoods habitat that includes miles of trails for hiking, biking, and wildlife spotting.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025
To accomplish this, Barton turned to the fundamental dance technique of spotting, where the dancer finds a focal point in front of them and whips their head around to hold that focus spot and keep themself centered.
—Oliver Sava, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
Phil Hay, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
After spotting her, the deputy started to run.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Malware infections are more common than many Mac users realize, and spotting them early can make all the difference.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Join a morning or evening wildlife tour for the best chance of spotting large mammals like grizzly bears, moose, bull elk, and mountain sheep.
—Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025
Health inspectors closed the Southeast Asian restaurant after spotting several live adult and juvenile German cockroaches in areas including under sinks.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
With all the flashbulbs, fashion, and starpower on the red carpet, you could be forgiven for not spotting Sean O’Kelly and Sami Arpa at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 29 Sep. 2025
Shoppers have already started spotting Pumpkin Caramel Kringles in the weekly ALDI Finds section for $7, compared to the $10 price tag at Trader Joe’s, making this indulgent treat even more tempting to grab on your next grocery run.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2025
Even after the sensors are gone, farmers who used them get better at spotting pests.
—Atin Adhikari, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
According to Us Weekly, the first spotting of this tattoo was in April 2021 at the ACM Awards.
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
Farther east, Amsterdamse Bos is a forest three times larger than Central Park, with lots of trails and wildlife spotting—and even a ropes-and-zip line course.
—Blane Bachelor, AFAR Media, 1 Oct. 2025
Capitol Reef was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2015, and autumn's cool, clear nights are a great time to go constellation spotting.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
In MLPerf Tiny benchmarks, the X160 Gen 2 reportedly delivered 2x the performance of competing solutions with a similar small footprint, across workloads like keyword spotting, image classification, and anomaly detection.
—Marco Chiappetta, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
As the inversion lifts in the afternoon, fire behavior will increase to the north and northeast, with group torching, spotting, and uphill runs in mixed conifer stands containing heavy dead and down material.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Kissing Bugs Kissing bugs are small, dark, wingless insects with reddish spotting.
—Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2025
Enjoy a Florida-style expedition at the 1,322-acre Micro Scrub Sanctuary, a natural scrubby flatwoods and mesic flatwoods habitat that includes miles of trails for hiking, biking, and wildlife spotting.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025
To accomplish this, Barton turned to the fundamental dance technique of spotting, where the dancer finds a focal point in front of them and whips their head around to hold that focus spot and keep themself centered.
—Oliver Sava, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Celebrity spotting at the football has become a pastime in itself.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
After spotting her, the deputy started to run.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Malware infections are more common than many Mac users realize, and spotting them early can make all the difference.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Join a morning or evening wildlife tour for the best chance of spotting large mammals like grizzly bears, moose, bull elk, and mountain sheep.
—Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025
Health inspectors closed the Southeast Asian restaurant after spotting several live adult and juvenile German cockroaches in areas including under sinks.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
With all the flashbulbs, fashion, and starpower on the red carpet, you could be forgiven for not spotting Sean O’Kelly and Sami Arpa at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 29 Sep. 2025
Shoppers have already started spotting Pumpkin Caramel Kringles in the weekly ALDI Finds section for $7, compared to the $10 price tag at Trader Joe’s, making this indulgent treat even more tempting to grab on your next grocery run.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2025
Even after the sensors are gone, farmers who used them get better at spotting pests.
—Atin Adhikari, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotting
Noun
-
In addition to unlocking the maximum efficiency of energy grids and financial services, other opportunities are being explored in how quantum could optimize global shipping, and to help understand the complex chemical reactions that could lead to the discovery of new materials and medicines.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The latest discovery came unexpectedly during observations of the quasar H1413+117, better known as the Cloverleaf.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Vrabel is gunning for her, her team and anyone standing in his path, sprinkling salt on select wounds along the way.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
-
TikTok creators and influencers have been filming themselves pouring honey onto a spoon, or even on the back of their hand, and sprinkling it with salt — many opting for natural options of both — and taking a dose before heading to the gym.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Nocturnal and largely solitary, brown hyenas are rarely seen, so van den Heever started to use a camera trap after noticing their tracks in the area.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
-
After noticing Atlas sometimes got upset when their dad dropped them off at school, Aveline began sneaking into his room each morning after Kay laid out his clothes.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In addition, spraying insecticides to kill flies isn’t a good option.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Bond has helped them with yard work, trimming bushes and spraying for insects.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The findings have been in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Turkish mill Maritaş will share updates on its local regenerative cotton project in the Harran Plain, including academic findings and scientific data.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The area put on a display of yellow aspen trees dotting the mountains between evergreens, their delicate leaves vibrating in the wind.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Sydney in the eighties was sometimes called the San Francisco of the Southern Hemisphere, known for its drag clubs and bathhouses dotting a downtown strip nicknamed the Golden Mile.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bushman found that sense of victimization is unique to American culture and the current generation’s addiction to media, while seeing little connection to low self-esteem in the attackers.—
John Scott Lewinski,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The wildlife group checked on the koala, but seeing no signs of distress, left it to its own devices, according to the outlet.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As reported by Breaking Defense, NORTHCOM ran hundreds of real-world drone attack scenarios to test different detection and defeat systems to see what works best without endangering civilian airspace.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
-
That technically places it above the +6 detection limit of the human eye in perfect dark sky conditions, though the light cast by the waning gibbous moon will add an extra barrier to visibility in the week ahead.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotting. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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