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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spotting
Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The pup, who is described as playful and curious, has become a star in her own right on board, with plenty of cruise travelers vying for a spotting or photo op.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
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
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The robot is also capable of spotting the charging spot perfectly in electric vehicles.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
This creates an ideal backdrop for spotting even the faintest meteors as Earth passes through the debris trail left by Halley’s Comet.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The section of the body of water near Mesa is popular for tubing and spotting wild horses.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Known for its emphasis on work-life balance, connection with nature, and consistent place on the list of happiest countries in the world, Finland boasts gorgeous lakes, a robust sauna culture, incredible wildlife, northern lights spotting, and more.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2025
Health inspectors gave the market a yellow placard after spotting five flies throughout the facilty.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
But for collectors, spotting the Daytona, the Pepsi, and the Seiko in their natural context is a reward in itself.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2025
Depending on the situation, spotting a drone can spark excitement — especially at live music performances or sporting events, where they’re often used for aerial footage and crowd shots.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
This year's Orionids shower is due to peak when there is a new moon, providing darker skies and ideal conditions for meteor spotting.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The pup, who is described as playful and curious, has become a star in her own right on board, with plenty of cruise travelers vying for a spotting or photo op.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
Between the timing and Elsbeth spotting a shiny, brand-new replacement for Johnny’s beat-up old harness and carabiner, the jig is up, giving Elsbeth a moment to shine on the set of Raquel’s Behind the Black Veil interview, prosecuting her case in the persona of a reality-show host.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The robot is also capable of spotting the charging spot perfectly in electric vehicles.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
This creates an ideal backdrop for spotting even the faintest meteors as Earth passes through the debris trail left by Halley’s Comet.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The section of the body of water near Mesa is popular for tubing and spotting wild horses.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Known for its emphasis on work-life balance, connection with nature, and consistent place on the list of happiest countries in the world, Finland boasts gorgeous lakes, a robust sauna culture, incredible wildlife, northern lights spotting, and more.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2025
Health inspectors gave the market a yellow placard after spotting five flies throughout the facilty.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025
But for collectors, spotting the Daytona, the Pepsi, and the Seiko in their natural context is a reward in itself.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2025
Depending on the situation, spotting a drone can spark excitement — especially at live music performances or sporting events, where they’re often used for aerial footage and crowd shots.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotting
Noun
-
Stretching about a mile and a half, Italy’s only navigable underground river is home to the ancient cave system, which boasts numerous archaeological discoveries and unique formations.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The find marks one of many major archaeological discoveries in Asia Minor in recent months.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Consider sprinkling stevia over your oatmeal.—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
3 Nov. 2025
-
For tougher stains, Stein suggests sprinkling baking soda over the area and then spraying it with a mixture of vinegar and water.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Harvey brings a distinctive approach to the nuclear narrative, one shaped by childhood memories of hearing about French President Jacques Chirac and the Rainbow Warrior bombing, but noticing the absence of First Nations voices in those stories.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Humans are inherently quite good at noticing changes in other people’s expressions.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
For tougher stains, Stein suggests sprinkling baking soda over the area and then spraying it with a mixture of vinegar and water.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Geoengineering is one potential alternative, as ambitious projects could dim the sun by spraying particles in the atmosphere.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The findings come as businesses and governments weigh the economic promise of AI against regulatory and safety concerns.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Thompson turned to Preston Mui, a senior economist at Employ America, for a sector-by-sector breakdown of job openings since ChatGPT’s release, and the findings actually contradicted the AI narrative.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Visitors were treated to a traditional lion dance, complete with the eye-dotting ceremony that symbolized good fortune and energy for the new venture.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
Admittedly, this may delight a curious gardener who enjoys seeing what novelties a volunteer plant can produce.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Added to the trauma of grief and sudden eviction under threat of reprisal, Adelaida has to endure seeing the sacred mementos of her mother’s life trashed by the thuggish new squatters.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Given how poor most AI detection tools are, this is plenty plausible; and if AI detectors aren’t used, accusations often come down to a hunch.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The theater has a security system that uses motion detections, which, at times, go off when no one is in the building.—
Keith Sharon,
Nashville Tennessean,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotting. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share