(~s, ~ting, ~ted)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Spots are small, round, coloured areas on a surface.
The leaves have yellow areas on the top and underneath are powdery orange ~s...
The swimsuit comes in navy with white ~s or blue with green ~s.
N-COUNT: usu pl
2.
Spots on a person’s skin are small lumps or marks.
Never squeeze blackheads, ~s or pimples.
N-COUNT: usu pl
3.
A ~ of a liquid is a small amount of it. (mainly BRIT)
Spots of rain had begun to fall...
N-COUNT: N of n
4.
If you have a ~ of something, you have a small amount of it. (mainly BRIT)
Mr Brooke is undoubtedly in a ~ of bother...
We’ve given all the club members tea, coffee and a ~ of lunch.
= bit
QUANT: QUANT of n-uncount
5.
You can refer to a particular place as a ~.
They stayed at several of the island’s top tourist ~s...
They all stood there staring, as if frozen to the ~.
N-COUNT: usu supp N
6.
A ~ 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 ~ on a CNN film show.
= slot
N-COUNT: usu with supp
7.
If you ~ something or someone, you notice them.
Vicenzo failed to ~ the error...
VERB: V n
see also ~ted , black ~ , blind ~
8.
If you are on the ~, you are at the actual place where something is happening.
...areas where troops are on the ~ and protecting civilians...
PHRASE: v-link PHR
9.
If you do something on the ~, you do it immediately.
James was called to see the producer and got the job on the ~...
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR n
10.
If you put someone on the ~, you cause them to have to answer a difficult question or make a difficult decision.
He put me on the ~ 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 ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
11.
rooted to the ~: see rooted
to have a soft ~ for someone : see soft