SPOTTING Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

spotting 1 of 2

noun

as in discovery

the act or process of sighting or learning the existence of something for the first time the spotting of a new bird is always a thrill for an avid bird-watcher

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

spotting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of spot

as in sprinkling

to mark with small spots especially unevenly to give the effect of sunlight on water, the artist spotted the lake in his painting with flecks of gold paint

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in noticing

to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes I spotted both of them as they tried to sneak out the back door

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in spraying

to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on the TV networks had spotted reporters all over the state for the election

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spotting

Noun

Take out the property’s resident boat Bella from the Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club for a view of the Port Royal mega-mansions and a chance at dolphin spotting. — Harriet Elton, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026 The hoofed Highlanders have been embraced as an unofficial mascot on campus, with Reddit threads dedicated to donkey spotting and burro plushies for sale in the campus store. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 Wilted or leathery leaves are signs of low humidity, while yellow spots on the leaves indicate fungal spotting from too much humidity. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 23 Sep. 2026 Camping, hiking, wildlife spotting, fishing, birding, and kayaking. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026 This time, however, the spotting has occurred at the same time that China’s new Type 076 amphibious assault ship entered its final sea trials. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026 Kesha’s raccoon spotting comes shortly after a wild raccoon with a spine deformity, nicknamed Jimothy, recently went viral after a Seattle resident’s video gained over 5 million views online. — Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026 Set along the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the city features a walkable historic downtown, scenic Harborwalk, quaint cafés and restaurants, and easy access to kayaking, boating, fishing, and wildlife spotting. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2026 Overhead irrigation is discouraged to prevent leaf disease and spotting. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 July 2026

Verb

Other possible uses include detecting weak magnetic signals from the heart and muscles, improving navigation, and spotting underground magnetic anomalies. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026 For more help spotting suspicious sellers, see our guide on how to tell whether an online store is real or a scam. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 At Mount Battie, visitors can hike to the summit or drive the seasonal auto road, on clear days, even spotting Cadillac Mountain in Acadia. — Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2026 These models can analyze millions of lines of code in seconds, spotting subtle memory management bugs that human auditors might miss over decades of software development. — Doug Jacobson, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 Numerous women on TikTok also report spotting photos of men on dating apps that appear to be AI-generated. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Some of these hunters spend hours in hopes of spotting a miniature ceramic smiley face peeking out of a crevice. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Game officials made an error in spotting the ball on Oregon's 2-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's loss to UCLA, the Big Ten announced on Sunday. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 Slowik was asked if Willis not spotting open receivers has been a problem in general. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spotting

Noun

The discovery raises the possibility of a grim outcome in the search for the four men, which has led to El Salvador deploying 450 special forces soldiers to Haiti as of Friday to aid the gang-fighting force in the search.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
New discoveries matter only if companies have the incentive and capital to bring them to market.

— Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of discovery

Verb

Bernard was on a color walk, a simple scavenger hunt organized around intentionally noticing a certain color—and how much of it is hiding in your ordinary surroundings.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Also worth noticing is the timestamp, showing when a specific voting location’s wait time was last updated.

— Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of noticing

Verb

What’s less known is that indoor activity — cooking, keeping pets, burning candles and spraying perfumes — generates pollutants and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Jennings adds.

— Tracy Achonwa, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
The couple then began screaming and spraying one of the children with a bottle of cologne, police say.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of spraying

Noun

The researchers examined 413 software vulnerabilities affecting connected vehicles between January 2022 and September 2024, comparing their findings with security issues documented over the previous decade.

— Mike McRae October 20, New Atlas, 21 Oct. 2026
The audit’s conclusions echo several findings of an investigation this year by The Denver Gazette and ProPublica into the Marijuana Enforcement Division’s lapses in policing contaminants entering the legal marketplace.

— Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of finding

Verb

There are other tables dotting the store, where people can dine on sushi, sandwiches or a plethora of other delectable treats.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Down a long path, a wooden fence separated walkers from white flowers dotting the expansive grassy landscape.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of dotting

Verb

Thinking that writing code was the only bottleneck for deploying new software is like the Titanic seeing the tip of the iceberg and assuming there was nothing underneath it.

— Brian Jenney, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Oct. 2026
Reading a book, a poem, seeing a painting or a sculpture, or even hearing the intro of a song.

— Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of seeing

Noun

Its plan involves genetically engineering dogs for dangerous missions, including explosives detection and specialized search operations.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Amazon said its threat intelligence team had detected attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities before they were publicly disclosed, using its MadPot threat detection system, which monitors suspicious activity across internet-facing infrastructure.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of detection

Browse Nearby Words

spottily

spotting

spotty

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Spotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spotting. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of spotting

noun

verb

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