spot

Less common meanings

11. 11
    a littlenouncountable

    A small, unspecified amount or quantity of something.

    After a spot of lunch, they continued the long hike.

    We ran into a spot of trouble on the way home.

    UsageUsually a spot of + noun: a spot of lunch, a spot of trouble. It sounds light and friendly.

    Similarbit, dash, drop

    Note

    It works much like a bit of, but it keeps the amount small and the tone easy, which is why it suits a friendly offer such as a spot of tea.

12. 12
    pimplenouncountable

    A pimple or small inflamed mark on the skin.

    He covered the spot on his forehead with a little cream.

    Greasy food seemed to bring out spots on his face.

    Similarpimple, blemish

13. 13
    lend moneyverbslangUS

    To lend someone a small sum of money.

    Spot me twenty bucks and I'll pay you back tomorrow.

    A buddy spotted him the cover charge at the door.

    UsagePerson first, then the money, with no preposition: spot me twenty bucks. Keep it casual; in formal writing, use lend.

    Similarlend, loan, front

    Oppositeborrow

    Note

    American slang for a small loan, and it takes two objects with no preposition: you spot someone ten dollars, or hope someone can spot you a few. Tayari Jones's An American Marriage (2018) uses it in exactly that way, close to payday.

14. 14
    give a head startverbcolloquialUStransitiveus

    To let an opponent begin a game or contest with an advantage, such as extra points or a head start.

    I'll spot you two strokes a hole and still beat you.

    The chess champion spotted her young opponent a rook and won anyway.

    UsageThe person comes first, then the advantage, with no preposition: spot him ten points, spot her a rook.

    Similargive

    Note

    A chiefly American, informal use from games and contests: the stronger side spots the weaker one an advantage to even the match.

15. 15
    guard a lifterverbtransitive

    To support or assist someone performing a maneuver, staying ready to step in if safety requires.

    Two teammates spot the lifter during her final attempt.

    He spotted the climber from below as she worked the boulder problem.

    UsageThe person is the object: spot a lifter, spot someone on a back handspring.

    Similarassist, support

    Note

    The verb spans gymnastics, dance, weightlifting and climbing, and it can stretch further. In Angela Bowen's "Towards a National Lesbian Conference" (1989), lines of women spotted the sides of a ramp that had no handrails, guarding a place rather than a body.

16. 16
    stage lightnouncountable

    A bright lamp that directs a focused beam onto a particular area; a spotlight.

    The crew adjusted the spot to follow the dancer across the floor.

    Several spots illuminated the statue during the evening ceremony.

    Similarspotlight

17. 17
    immediate deliveryadjective

    Bought or sold for immediate payment and delivery, rather than at a set future date.

    Refiners often buy crude oil at the spot price when supplies run short.

    The exporter settled the deal at the spot rate quoted that morning.

    UsageUsually right before a noun: spot price, spot rate, spot market.

    Oppositeforward

    Note

    The commercial adjective comes straight from the phrase on the spot, meaning goods or cash available here and now. Its natural contrast is a forward or futures deal, with delivery and payment set for a future date.

18. 18
    penalty marknouncountable

    The marked point on a soccer field from which a penalty kick is taken.

    The referee pointed to the spot after the defender's foul in the box.

    He buried the penalty from the spot, sending the keeper the wrong way.

    Note

    Soccer shortens penalty spot to the spot, and the phrase from the spot means "by penalty kick." Chris Bevan's BBC report "Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds" (2011) has Robert Snodgrass putting Leeds ahead from the spot. In the same way, a referee points to the spot when awarding a penalty. The definite article does the work, because on a pitch no other spot needs explaining. Source

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Chris Bevan wrote the BBC report “Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds,” published in 2011. en.wiktionary.org
    • The report describes Robert Snodgrass putting Leeds ahead using the words “from the spot.” en.wiktionary.org
19. 19
    verbtransitive

    To remove, or try to remove, a stain from a surface.

    Grandma always kept a bottle of club soda handy for spotting the tablecloth after big family dinners.

    Most dry cleaners spot the worst stains with special solvents before the whole garment goes into the machine.

    Note

    Here the word turns on itself: to spot can mean to leave a stain and also to take one out. The cleaning sense is transitive and local. You spot the carpet where the spaghetti landed, treating that patch rather than washing the whole thing. Context settles which meaning is intended, since the person with the cloth is the one doing the removing.

20. 20
    light bleedingverbintransitive

    To pass small amounts of blood from the vagina, especially outside of normal menstruation.

    Many patients spot during the first trimester without complications.

    She began to spot a week before her period was due.

    Similarbleed

21. 21
    good catchnouncountable

    The act of noticing or catching sight of something.

    Thanks for catching that mistake in the contract before we signed it; that was a really good spot.

    That was a brilliant spot by the editor, who caught an error everyone else missed.

    UsageMostly as praise: good spot or nice spot, said right after someone notices something you missed.

    Similarcatch

22. 22
    dice marknouncountable

    A mark on a playing card, domino, or die that indicates its value; a pip.

    He counted the spots on the dice before moving his piece.

    The old die was so worn that you could barely make out the single spot on its top face.

    Similarpip, dot

23. 23
    nouncountable

    The person who stands by someone doing a lift, stunt or move, ready to support or catch them if it goes wrong; a spotter.

    Before attempting a new max on the bench, always make sure you have a spot standing behind you, ready to grab the bar.

    When a stranger at the gym asks you for a spot, stand behind the bench and keep your hands close to the bar.

    UsageFor the person, spotter is much more common; spot usually refers to the help itself, as in ask for a spot or need a spot.

    Similarspotter

    Note

    The person is named after the job. Whoever spots a lift or a vault is the spot, and spotter is the same role with a fuller ending. The word belongs to gymnastics, dance and weightlifting. In dance, keep it apart from the turning technique, where spotting means fixing the eyes on one point while spinning. That is something a dancer does alone, not standing ready beside a partner. Source

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • The person is identified by the activity of spotting: supporting or assisting a maneuver or being ready to assist for safety. en.wiktionary.org
    • Spotter is formed from spot with the suffix -er. en.wiktionary.org
    • In the turning technique, the turning dancer controls their own gaze by repeatedly fixing it on a spotting point. en.wikipedia.org
24. 24
    official's placingnouncountable

    In sports, an official's determination of where something is placed, such as the position of the ball after a play.

    The official's spot gave the team a first down by inches.

    A video replay confirmed the spot at the twenty-yard line.

    Note

    A referee's placement of the ball is a judgment, not just a location, and so sports talk treats it like any other call. Fans can dispute the referee's spot of the ball the way they dispute a foul. The usual phrasing pairs it with the official or with the ball, which keeps it apart from a mark painted on the field. Source

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • The ball's spot involves an official determination of placement. en.wiktionary.org
25. 25
    ball's home (snooker)nouncountable

    Any of the marked points on a snooker, pool, or billiards table from which certain balls are played.

    After being potted, the colored ball is returned to its spot.

    She lined up the cue ball with the spot before breaking.

    Note

    Cue sports mark the cloth with fixed points, and in snooker each spot is known by the ball that belongs on it, so players speak of the blue spot or a ball's own spot. Pool usually names its spots by position instead, such as the foot spot. Putting a ball back on its mark is the verb of placing. Don't confuse these table markings with the spotted pool balls, which take their name from the pattern on the ball itself.

26. 26
    verbtransitive

    To place a ball back on a marked point on a billiards or snooker table, usually its own designated spot.

    After the foul, the referee spots the colored ball on its mark.

    While reds remain on the table, the referee must spot each colored ball again after it is potted.

    Note

    In snooker and billiards, a ball is spotted when it is set back on a marked point. The noun and the verb can meet in one sentence: the referee had to spot the pink on the blue spot. A ball does not always go back to its own mark: in snooker, when that spot is covered, the colored ball goes on the highest-value free spot instead, or as near its own as possible when none is free.

27. 27
    nouncountable

    In pool, any of the balls marked with a spot that one player aims to pot, while the opponent plays the striped balls.

    She cleared all her spots and lined up the eight ball.

    After potting his first spot, he was committed to the solids for the rest of the frame.

    Similarsolid

    Oppositestripe

    Note

    In eight-ball pool, the object balls other than the black form two families by their markings, and the names only make sense as a pair: spots against stripes. Each player takes one family, so the word usually appears in the plural. A player owns the whole group rather than a single ball, and it is not the same thing as the marked points on the table. Source

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • This describes the assigned groups in standard eight-ball, not pool generally; the black 8 ball is separate from those groups. en.wikipedia.org
    • Each player is assigned an entire group of balls in eight-ball. upatour.com
    • The balls are distinct from spots marked on the table. wpapool.com
28. 28
    focus while spinningverbtransitive

    To focus on a point while turning, quickly rotating the head to regain that point during each revolution.

    Ballet students learn to spot a mark on the far wall during fouetté turns.

    She spotted the doorway through each rotation to stay oriented.

    Note

    Dance training owns this sense. Grammatically, the object is the turn itself, so dancers spot their turns. Teachers also speak of spotting a mark on the wall. The habit even separates one discipline from another: most figure skaters do not spot their turns the way dancers do. Source

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Spotting is a technique taught in dance. danceacademy.edu.au
    • Figure skaters generally do not use the isolated head movement that dancers use when spotting turns. frontiersin.org
29. 29
    verb

    To retouch a photographic print or film by hand to remove minor flaws such as dust marks.
30. 30
    verb

    To prepare an aircraft for a catapult launch by placing it in the required position on an aircraft carrier's deck.
31. 31
    nounslangUS

    A banknote worth five or ten dollars.
32. 32
    noun

    A breed of fancy pigeon named for the colored patch on the crown, near where the bill begins.
33. 33
    noun

    A small drum fish of the eastern US seaboard, Leiostomus xanthurus, eaten as food and recognized by a dark blotch near the gill cover.
34. 34
    noun

    Another name for the red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, a game fish with a dark blotch near the base of its tail on each side.
35. 35
    noundated

    Goods such as cotton or other merchandise traded for delivery right away rather than at a future date.
36. 36
    noun

    In physics, a self-sustaining localized pattern that forms in a medium kept out of equilibrium, also called an autosoliton.
37. 37
    noun

    The dot that separates whole numbers from decimal fractions.
38. 38
    verbdialectal

    To rain lightly, with a few drops falling here and there, as when rain is just starting.
39. 39
    verb

    To make notches along a log so that it can then be squared with an axe.
40. 40
    verb

    In snooker and similar games, of a ball, to have its marked position on the table free so it can be put back there.
41. 41
    verb

    To move a railroad car or engine to an exact place set in advance, such as a loading dock.