2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Spots on a person's skin are small lumps or marks. □ Never squeeze blackheads, spots or pimples.
3 N‑COUNT A spot of a liquid is a small amount of it. [mainly BRIT ] □ [+ of ] 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 ] □ [+ of ] Mr Brooke is undoubtedly in a spot of bother. □ [+ of ] 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 . □ 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. □ Unsuccessful at screen writing, he got a spot on a CNN film show.
7 VERB If you spot something or someone, you notice them. □ [V n] Vicenzo failed to spot the error.
8 → see also spotted , black spot , blind spot
9 PHRASE If you are on the spot , you are at the actual place where something is happening. □ …areas where troops are on the spot and protecting civilians.
10 PHRASE If you do something on the spot , you do it immediately. □ James was called to see the producer and got the job on the spot.
11 PHRASE If you put someone on the spot , you cause them to have to answer a difficult question or make a difficult decision. □ He put me on the spot because he invited me in front of his mum and I didn't want to go. □ Even clever people are not terribly clever when put on the spot.
12 rooted to the spot → see rooted
13 to have a soft spot for someone → see soft
spo t che ck (spot checks ) also spot-check N‑COUNT If someone carries out a spot check , they examine one thing from a group in order to make sure that it is satisfactory.
spot|less /spɒ tləs/ ADJ Something that is spotless is completely clean. □ Each morning cleaners make sure everything is spotless. ● spot|less|ly ADV [ADV adj] □ The house had huge, spotlessly clean rooms.
spot|light /spɒ tla I t/ (spotlights , spotlighting , spotlighted )
1 N‑COUNT A spotlight is a powerful light, for example in a theatre, which can be directed so that it lights up a small area.
2 VERB If something spotlights a particular problem or situation, it makes people notice it and think about it. □ [V n] …a new book spotlighting female entrepreneurs.
3 PHRASE Someone or something that is in the spotlight is getting a great deal of public attention. □ Webb is back in the spotlight.
spot|lit /spɒ tl I t/ ADJ Something that is spotlit is brightly lit up by one or more spotlights. □ She caught a clear view upwards of the spotlit temple.
spo t-o n also spot on ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Spot-on means exactly correct or accurate. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ Schools were told their exam information had to be spot-on and accurate.
spot|ted /spɒ t I d/
1 ADJ Something that is spotted has a pattern of spots on it. □ …hand-painted spotted cups and saucers in green and blue. □ [+ with ] His cheeks were spotted with blackheads.
2 → see also spot
spot|ter /spɒ tə r / (spotters ) N‑COUNT [n N ] A spotter of something such as trains or aeroplanes is someone whose hobby is watching and finding out about them. [BRIT ] □ I was a devoted train spotter.
-spotting /-spɒt I ŋ/ COMB -spotting combines with nouns to form nouns which describe the activity of looking out for things such as birds or trains as a hobby. □ …train-spotting. □ …bird-spotting.
spot|ty /spɒ ti/ (spottier , spottiest ) ADJ Someone who is spotty has spots on their face. □ She was rather fat, and her complexion was muddy and spotty.
spous|al /spaʊ zəl/ ADJ [ADJ n] Spousal rights and duties are ones which you gain if you are married. [AM , FORMAL ]
spouse /spaʊ s/ (spouses ) N‑COUNT Someone's spouse is the person they are married to.
spout /spaʊ t/ (spouts , spouting , spouted )
1 VERB If something spouts liquid or fire, or if liquid or fire spout out of something, it comes out very quickly with a lot of force. □ [V n] He replaced the boiler when the last one began to spout flames. □ [V n prep] The main square has a fountain that spouts water 40 feet into the air. □ [V adv/prep] In a storm, water spouts out of the blowhole just like a whale.
2 N‑COUNT A spout of liquid is a long stream of it which is coming out of something very forcefully.
3 VERB If you say that a person spouts something, you disapprove of them because they say something which you do not agree with or which you think they do not honestly feel. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V n] He used his column to spout ill-informed criticism of the Scots rugby team. ● PHRASAL VERB Spout forth and spout off mean the same as spout . □ [V P + about ] …an estate agent spouting forth about houses.
4 N‑COUNT A spout is a long, hollow part of a container through which liquids can be poured out easily.