Meanings
- idiomaticAt that very moment.
He liked the house, so he made an offer on the spot.
1 more example
There are in the Armies a great many Inſtances of Gun-ſhot Wounds of the Arm near the Scapula, which require Amputation at the Shoulder; but the Apprehenſion of loſing their Patients on the Spot by the Hæmorrhage, has deterred Surgeons from undertaking it.
1739, Samuel Sharp, “Of Amputation” (chapter XXXVII), in A Treatise on the Operations of Surgery, London: J. Brotherton, page 221Synonyms: right away, then and there
- idiomaticHaving to answer or decide without warning or preparation.
All the sudden questions put him on the spot and he had to think quickly.
Synonyms: on the stand
- idiomaticIn a particular place.
We exercised by jumping up and down on the spot.
3 more examples
This report comes from our man on the spot in Gaza.
I had accepted an engagement to go out with Mystofilms Ltd. in Fake of Dead Man's Bush—the dwarf-men picture, you know, taken on the spot among the Australian bushmen.
1928, Dorothy L. Sayers, “The Abominable History of the Man with Copper Fingers”, in Lord Peter Views the Body[…] on October 29, 1888, the Russian imperial train was derailed at Borki by defective track, and twenty-one persons were killed. Although these did not include the Emperor Alexander III, who escaped with a bruising, a footman serving coffee to him at the critical moment, and his dog, which was lying on the floor beside him, were both killed on the spot.
1945 September and October, C. Hamilton Ellis, “Royal Trains—V”, in Railway Magazine, pages 251–252Synonyms: in place, on location, on site, on the premises, in the room
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseAt that very moment.
prepositional phraseHaving to answer or decide without warning or preparation.
prepositional phraseIn a particular place.
Translations
Ancient Greek παραχρῆμα
- παραχρῆμα (parakhrêma)at the very moment
Chinese Mandarin 當場 /当场
- 當場 /当场 (dāngchǎng)at the very moment
Dutch ter plekke, ter plekke
- ter plekkeat the very moment
- ter plekkein a particular place
Finnish siinä paikassa, saman tien
- siinä paikassaat the very moment
- saman tienat the very moment
- tiukillehaving to answer or decide without warning
- paikallain a particular place
- paikan päälläin a particular place
French sur-le-champ, séance tenante
- sur-le-champat the very moment
- séance tenanteat the very moment
- sur placein a particular place
German auf der Stelle
- auf der Stelleat the very moment
Greek αυτή τη στιγμή, επί τόπου
- αυτή τη στιγμή (aftí ti stigmí)at the very moment
- επί τόπου (epí tópou)in a particular place
Indonesian seketika
- seketikaat the very moment
Irish ar an ásc sin, ar an spota
- ar an ásc sinat the very moment
- ar an spotaat the very moment
- láithreach bonnat the very moment
- láithreach bonnhaving to answer or decide without warning
- ar an toirthaving to answer or decide without warning
Italian subito, immediatamente
- subitoat the very moment
- immediatamenteat the very moment
- sul postoin a particular place
Latin ilico, illico
- ilicoat the very moment
- illicoat the very moment
- praestoat the very moment
Norwegian Bokmål på flekken
- på flekkenat the very moment
Polish z miejsca
- z miejscaat the very moment
Portuguese na hora, no momento
- na horaat the very moment
- no momentoat the very moment
- ali mesmoat the very moment
Russian неме́дленно, сра́зу
- неме́дленно (nemédlenno)at the very moment
- сра́зуat the very moment
- ту́т же (tút že)at the very moment
- на ме́сте (na méste)in a particular place
Scottish Gaelic anns a' bhad, sa bhad
- anns a' bhadat the very moment
- sa bhadat the very moment
- anns an spotat the very moment
Swedish på fläcken
- på fläckenat the very moment
Cite this entry
on the spot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20spot
“on the spot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20spot. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the spot,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20spot.
Source: on the spot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.