spots

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of spot.

   The leopard's coat is covered in dark spots from head to tail.

   She scrubbed at the grease spots until the shirt looked clean again.

   Note

   One spelling does two jobs here: the noun plural, and the present-tense verb. As a noun it carries every countable meaning of spot, from markings on a leopard and grease stains to pimples on the skin and the pips on dice and dominoes. In US slang it can also mean five- or ten-dollar bills, so context, not form, tells a reader which kind of spots are meant.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of spot.

   The scout spots the visiting team's weakness within the first ten minutes.

   Whenever a customer hesitates, the clerk spots it and steps in to help.

   Note

   Most often it needs an object: the scout spots a weakness, a proofreader spots the error. In US slang it can take two objects, as when a friend spots you a few dollars until payday. Some dialects use it with no object at all for weather. When it spots, rain is falling in scattered first drops. With a singular subject, the -s is required in every one of these uses.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2