spot
Forms
- Plural
- spots
- present (v1)
- spot
- past (v2)
- spotted
- past participle (v3)
- spotted
- present participle
- spotting
- 3rd person singular
- spots
Definitions
1.A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.
- The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur.
- Why do ladybugs have spots?
2.A stain or disfiguring mark.
- I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out.
3.A pimple, papule or pustule.
- I think she's got chicken pox; she's covered in spots.
- That morning, I saw that a spot had come up on my chin.
4.A symbol on a playing card, domino, die, etc. indicating its value; a pip.
1.To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify.
- Try to spot the differences between these two pictures.
- The campaign aimed to give commuters the confidence to trust their own instincts and intervene if they spot someone vulnerable who may be at risk of suicide, and to talk to them to interrupt their suicidal thoughts.
- Taiwan’s gold discovery can be traced back to 1890 during construction of the railroad between Keelung and Taipei. Workers on the project spotted gold sediments on the banks of the Keelung River between Chitu and Patu.
2.To loan a small amount of money to someone.(slang)
- I’ll spot you ten dollars for lunch.
- “It’s close to payday, but you’re welcome to what I have. Maybe Wickliffe can spot me a few.”
3.To stain; to leave a spot (on).
- Hard water will spot if it is left on a surface.
4.To cover with spots, to speckle.
Frequency
Overall
Common· #1287
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Uncommon
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Uncommon
Related words
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English spot, spotte, partially from Middle Dutch spotte (“spot, speck”), and partially merging with Middle English splot, from Old English splott (“spot, plot of land”), from Proto-West Germanic *splott, from Proto-Germanic *spluttaz (“segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *splt-no- (“an off-split, segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to split”).