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1. The act of spotting or staining something
   - staining, maculation
    
2. The act of detecting something; catching sight of something
   - detection, catching, espial, spying

1. Catch sight of; to perceive with the eyes
   - spy, sight, descry, espy
    
2. See or hear differences; identify a particular part or parts of a whole; detect with difficulty
   "The fleeing convicts were spotted of the darkness by the watchful prison guards";
   - recognize, recognise [Brit], distinguish, discern, pick out, make out, tell apart
    
3. Mar or impair with a flaw
   "her face was spotted";
   - blemish
    
4. Make a spot or mark onto
   "The wine spotted the tablecloth";
   - fleck, blob, blot
    
5. Become spotted
   "This dress spots quickly"
    
6. Mark with a spot or spots so as to allow easy recognition
   "spot the areas that one should clearly identify"
    
7. [Brit] Observe or take notes about instances of a particular type of thing as a hobby
   "he went train spotting"

Derived forms: spottings

Type of: begrime, bemire [archaic], change, change surface, colly [archaic], comprehend, dirty, dirtying, discovery, find, grime, mark, perceive, soil, soiling, soilure [archaic], uncovering

Encyclopedia: Spotting