spot

Universal Words noun, verb noun small mark 1 a small round area that has a different colour or feels different from the surface it is on: Which has spots, the leopard or the tiger? * The male bird has a red spot on its beak. * (BrE) She was wearing a black skirt with white spots. seealsoBEAUTYSPOT, SUNSPOT 2 a small dirty mark on sth: His jacket was covered with spots of mud. * grease / rust spots 3 [usuallypl.] a small mark or lump on a person's skin, sometimes with a yellow head to it: The baby's whole body was covered in small red spots. * (BrE) teenagers worried about their spots comparePIMPLE, RASH, ZIT place 4 a particular area or place: a quiet / secluded / lonely spot * He showed me the exact spot where he had asked her to marry him. * She stood rooted to the spot with fear (= unable to move). * a picnic / tourist spot * This is a favourite spot for walkers and climbers. seealsoBLACKSPOT, BLINDSPOT, HOTSPOT, NIGHTSPOT, TROUBLESPOT small amount 5 [usuallysing.] ~ of sth (BrE, informal) a small amount of sth: He's in a spot of trouble. * Would you like a spot of lunch? * She's gone out to do a spot of shopping. 6 [usuallypl.] ~ (of sth) a small amount of a liquid: I felt a few spots of rain. part of show 7 a part of a television, radio, club or theatre show that is given to a particular entertainer or type of entertainment: a guest / solo spot in competition 8 a position in a competition or an event: two teams battling for top spot light 9 (informal) = SPOTLIGHT business 10 [sing.] (used before nouns to make compound nouns) connected with a system of trading where goods are delivered and paid for immediately after sale: spot prices * spot goods IDIOMS in a (tight) spot (informal) in a difficult situation: She'll always help you if you're in a spot. on the spot 1 immediately: He answered the question on the spot. * an on-the-spot parking fine 2 at the actual place where sth is happening: An ambulance was on the spot within minutes. * an on-the-spot report 3 in one exact place, without moving in any direction: Running on the spot is good exercise. put sb on the spot to make sb feel awkward or embarrassed by asking them a difficult question: The interviewer's questions really put him on the spot. moreatBRIGHTadj., GLUEv., HITv., KNOCKv., LEOPARD, RIVETv., SOFT verb (-tt-) 1 (not used in the progressive tenses) to see or notice a person or thing, especially suddenly or when it is not easy to do so: [VN] I finally spotted my friend in the crowd. * I've just spotted a mistake on the front cover. * Can you spot the difference between these two pictures? * Her modelling career began when she was spotted at the age of 14. * Spotting the disease early can save lives. * [VN-ing] Neighbours spotted smoke coming out of the house. * [Vthat] No one spotted that the gun was a fake. * [Vwh-] I soon spotted what the mistake was. seealsoSPOTTER 2 [VNN] (AmE, sport) to give your opponent or the other team an advantage: We spotted the opposing team two goals. IDIOMS be spotted with sth to be covered with small round marks of sth: His shirt was spotted with oil.