to spot
3
2.2
- verb
- /spɑt/
- And what I'm going to do is spot apply it where I want it.
- spotted with black
- spotted with white
Examples
-
An endangered monkey, the golden-headed lion tamarin, had already been spotted in the same habitat.
Academic text (2003) -
He quickly spotted the difference in color between the two paintings.
-
An aerial patrol spotted the ship off the coast.
-
Although rare, jaguars have been spotted in this forest by local farmers.
Academic text (2003) -
Sometimes in mid-sentence she'll spot a dust ball in a corner and race off to pick it up.
Fiction book (1994) -
I spent almost every day outdoors, biking beside fast rivers and green fields spotted with black-and-white cows.
Academic text (2008) -
Simultaneously, Lemming spotted a dime, dulled and worn, barely discernible from the concrete it lay upon.
Fiction book (1994) -
The teacher managed to spot the errors in the student's essay.
-
As I walked through the park, I spotted a rare bird perched on a branch.
Synonyms
25
1.0
To put a small round mark on something
19
3.7
To make a mark or stain on a surface, often with liquid
11
2.4
To mark something with a colored liquid used for writing
6
6.0
To mark a surface with small spots of color or light
2
9.6
To make small pits or scars on skin and other surfaces
1
5.5
To make something look less perfect or attractive
1
6.7
To put uneven marks of color or liquid on a surface
1
8.0
To make something have uneven spots or patches of color
1
5.3
To mark something with irregular spots of a different color
1
7.9
To mark something with small scar-like pits caused by disease or damage
1
5.6
To mark something with small spots
1
9.9
Mark something with small spots, often by drops of liquid
To mark something with small spots
Antonyms
Idioms
131
2.8
Immediately at the exact place where something happens, often needing a quick response
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
34
5.3
Force someone to answer or act without time to prepare when they feel uncomfortable
- Specialized
1
9.1
To intentionally block a single radio or radar frequency using electronic signals
Compounds
- Specialized
2
5.1
A place where people buy and sell things like oil or currency to be delivered right away
- Specialized
1
4.2
A way to join metal sheets by melting small points with heat and pressure using electricity for example in cars
- Specialized
1
4.8
A small area in the eye where the optic nerve enters and you cannot see
- Specialized
1
5.4
A way of joining metal pieces by making small hot spots that melt them together
- Specialized
1
6.6
A small metal join made by heating and pressing two pieces together at one point
- Jargon
1
6.7
A fourth batter in the batting order, usually the strong hitter who tries to make runners score
- Specialized
1
7.3
A small yellow area at the back of the eye that gives clear central vision
- Informal
A cheap, slightly shabby bar or restaurant liked for its relaxed, fun atmosphere
- Australian
A fungus that makes yellow spots on sugarcane leaves and harms the crop
How Marked
Surface Forms
Etymology
Spot also kept the old idea of making a 'mark', so when something 'spots' it gets stains or visible marks on it. That's why we say a cloth 'spots' when a liquid makes small stains on it.