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
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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
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
Dry Your Shower and Close the Curtain Get rid of waterdrops on shower walls and doors to prevent mildew growth and water-spotting in about 30 seconds with a squeegee.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Jan. 2026
This spotting confirms to conservationists that the elusive species is breeding successfully in southern Thailand.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
From caves and lakeside swims to wildlife spotting and more, this spot where Missouri meets Arkansas is the perfect place to spend your next break with kids.
—Kaity Velez, Parents, 23 Dec. 2025
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
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
Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Here’s where naming a Wall Street pro who’s a master of spotting where danger’s building may prove a hedge against a future calamity.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
If wildlife spotting and a sustainable stay are your top priority, this fall will also see the grand return of Fregate Island, a conservation sanctuary on a private island where Aldabra giant tortoises and hawksbill sea turtles roam.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
The exact itinerary will remain fluid, guided by weather conditions, the thickness of the ice, and wildlife spotting opportunities.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 27 Jan. 2026
Faster wind can up your aurora-spotting odds, too.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Faris Hussain, a manager at the store, said another regular customer rushed in Thursday morning after spotting Bobbi on the ground.
—Trevor Sochocki, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026
If that’s so, Thamm and colleagues suggest that within certain constraints, there is a more than 90% chance of spotting the evaporation of a primordial black hole in the next 10 years.
—Quanta Magazine, 23 Jan. 2026
Where And When To Look Observers across most of North America should have no trouble spotting the moon and Saturn with the naked eye.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Noun
Avoid getting water on African violet leaves, which can cause leaf spotting and encourage mildew.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
Dry Your Shower and Close the Curtain Get rid of waterdrops on shower walls and doors to prevent mildew growth and water-spotting in about 30 seconds with a squeegee.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Jan. 2026
This spotting confirms to conservationists that the elusive species is breeding successfully in southern Thailand.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
From caves and lakeside swims to wildlife spotting and more, this spot where Missouri meets Arkansas is the perfect place to spend your next break with kids.
—Kaity Velez, Parents, 23 Dec. 2025
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
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
Verb
The Dutch, spotting an old man approaching in a canoe, sent out a sloop to investigate.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Here’s where naming a Wall Street pro who’s a master of spotting where danger’s building may prove a hedge against a future calamity.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
If wildlife spotting and a sustainable stay are your top priority, this fall will also see the grand return of Fregate Island, a conservation sanctuary on a private island where Aldabra giant tortoises and hawksbill sea turtles roam.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
The exact itinerary will remain fluid, guided by weather conditions, the thickness of the ice, and wildlife spotting opportunities.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 27 Jan. 2026
Faster wind can up your aurora-spotting odds, too.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Faris Hussain, a manager at the store, said another regular customer rushed in Thursday morning after spotting Bobbi on the ground.
—Trevor Sochocki, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026
If that’s so, Thamm and colleagues suggest that within certain constraints, there is a more than 90% chance of spotting the evaporation of a primordial black hole in the next 10 years.
—Quanta Magazine, 23 Jan. 2026
Where And When To Look Observers across most of North America should have no trouble spotting the moon and Saturn with the naked eye.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotting
Noun
-
Phatic communion was alive in the place of its discovery.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on Hollywood hits and diamond discoveries.—
,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And also sprinkling in those moments of Keisha.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Or more like an Aromatisse sprinkling the scent of perfume around?—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Or noticing that your hands feel inexplicably stiff and swollen, making simple tasks like opening a jar or even typing feel unusually difficult.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The second witness went inside for safety, then re-emerged, noticing the brothers were fighting, court records state.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
According to investigators, video provided by the dogs' owner showed a man approaching the fence and spraying the animals multiple times with what was later identified as pepper spray.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Video of the incident shows a man spraying an unidentified substance at Omar from a syringe.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Lutnick will then consult with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other administration officials about his findings.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The findings are based on interviews, employee surveys, and analysis of real enterprise deployments.—
Michael Wystrach,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of dotting the same black scrim, like pinholes in a two-dimensional theater backdrop, the stars were scattered through space at dramatically varying distances, a vast swarm of them filling every last corner of an even vaster, more numinous, and emphatically three-dimensional darkness.—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
-
With rows of sash windows dotting a vintage red and brown brick facade, Anmer Hall is the picture of classic Georgian charm.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And there are places like Glam Doll donuts, a small, hip, independent donut place owned and run by two women, from which the video a lot of people have been seeing was filmed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
What’s more, last year’s average tax refund of $3,167 should jump by hundreds of dollars in 2026 – with some taxpayers seeing four figure increases.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Kansas City has spent more than $1 million on the gunshot detection technology since 2019.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Wellness visits are vital for promoting healthy growth, development and early detection of chronic illness.—
Allison Ong,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotting. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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