spot (spots plural & 3rd person present) (spotting present participle) (spotted past tense & past participle )
1 n-count Spots are small, round, coloured areas on a surface.
usu pl
The leaves have yellow areas on the top and underneath are powdery orange spots..., The swimsuit comes in navy with white spots or blue with green spots.
2 n-count Spots on a person's skin are small lumps or marks.
usu pl
Never squeeze blackheads, spots or pimples.
3 n-count A spot of a liquid is a small amount of it.
(mainly BRIT) N of n
Spots of rain had begun to fall...
4 quant If you have a spot of something, you have a small amount of it.
(mainly BRIT) QUANT of n-uncount
(=bit)
Mr Brooke is undoubtedly in a spot of bother..., We've given all the club members tea, coffee and a spot of lunch.
5 n-count You can refer to a particular place as a spot.
usu supp N
They stayed at several of the island's top tourist spots..., They all stood there staring, as if frozen to the spot.
6 n-count A spot in a television or radio show is a part of it that is regularly reserved for a particular performer or type of entertainment.
usu with supp
(=slot)
Unsuccessful at screen writing, he got a spot on a CNN film show.
7 verb If you spot something or someone, you notice them.
Vicenzo failed to spot the error... V n
→
spotted
→
black spot
→
blind spot
8 If you are on the spot, you are at the actual place where something is happening.
on the spot phrase v-link PHR
...areas where troops are on the spot and protecting civilians...
9 If you do something on the spot, you do it immediately.
on the spot phrase PHR after v, PHR n
James was called to see the producer and got the job on the spot...
10 If you put someone on the spot, you cause them to have to answer a difficult question or make a difficult decision.
put on the spot phrase V inflects
He put me on the spot a bit because he invited me right in front of his mum and I didn't particularly want to go..., Even clever people are not terribly clever when put on the spot.
11 →
rooted to the spot →
rooted →
to have a soft spot for someone →
soft
beauty spot (beauty spots plural )
1 n-count A beauty spot is a place in the country that is popular because of its beautiful scenery.
The Valley of Vinales is a lush and fertile valley and one of Cuba's finest beauty spots.
2 n-count A beauty spot is a small, dark spot on the skin which is supposed to add to a woman's beauty.
black spot (black spots plural ), blackspot
1 n-count If you describe a place, time, or part of a situation as a black spot, you mean that it is particularly bad or likely to cause problems.
(BRIT)
There are recognised black spots in marriages which can lead to trouble...
2 n-count A black spot is a place on a road where accidents often happen.
(BRIT)
The accident happened on a notorious black spot on the A43.
blind spot (blind spots plural )
1 n-count If you say that someone has a blind spot about something, you mean that they seem to be unable to understand it or to see how important it is.
The prime minister has a blind spot on ethical issues..., When I was single I never worried about money<endash>it was a bit of a blind spot.
2 n-count A blind spot is an area in your range of vision that you cannot see properly but which you really should be able to see. For example, when you are driving a car, the area just behind your shoulders is often a blind spot.
high spot (high spots plural )The high spotof an event or activity is the most exciting or enjoyable part of it. n-count oft N of n
(=highlight)
Rough weather would have denied us a landing on the island, for me the high spot of the entire cruise.
hot spot (hot spots plural ), hotspot
1 n-count You can refer to an exciting place where there is a lot of activity or entertainment as a hot spot.
INFORMAL ...a popular and lively package tour hotspot.
2 n-count You can refer to an area where there is fighting or serious political trouble as a hot spot. (JOURNALISM)
There were many hot spots in the region, where fighting had been going on.
on-the-spot
On-the-spot things are done at the place that you are in at the time that you are there. adj ADJ n
Rail travellers who try to avoid paying their fares could face on-the-spot fines.
spot check (spot checks plural ), spot-check If someone carries out a spot check, they examine one thing from a group in order to make sure that it is satisfactory. n-count oft N on n
spot-on , spot on
Spot-on means exactly correct or accurate.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL adj usu v-link ADJ
Schools were told their exam information had to be spot-on and accurate.
trouble spot (trouble spots plural ), trouble-spot A trouble spot is a country or an area of a country where there is repeated fighting between two or more groups of people. n-count
