Meanings
verbchange one's spots (third-person singular simple present changes one's spots, present participle changing one's spots, simple past and past participle changed one's spots)
present singular third person changes one's spots · participle present changing one's spots · participle past changed one's spots · past changed one's spots
- To change one's basic nature.
Origin
From the proverb a leopard cannot change its spots.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
change one's spots. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/change%20one's%20spots
MLA
“change one's spots.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/change%20one's%20spots. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “change one's spots,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/change%20one's%20spots.
Source: change one's spots on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.