spotter

[ spot-er ]

noun

1. a person employed to remove spots from clothing, especially at a dry-cleaning establishment.
2. (in civil defense) a civilian who watches for enemy airplanes.
3. Informal. a person employed to watch the activity and behavior of others, especially employees, as for evidence of dishonesty.
4. Military. an observer at a forward position who singles out targets for gunners.
5. a person or thing that spots.
6. (in small-arms practice firing) a small black disk attached to the target to make more prominent the places where a bullet has hit.
7. an assistant to a sportscaster who provides the names of the players chiefly involved in each play of a game, especially a football game.
8. Gymnastics, Tumbling. a person who is stationed in the most effective place to guard against an injury to a performer in the act of executing a maneuver.

spotter

/ ˈspɒtə /

noun

1. 1. a person or thing that watches or observes
   2. ( as modifier )

      a spotter plane

2. a person who makes a hobby of watching for and noting numbers or types of trains, buses, etc

   a train spotter

3. military a person who orders or advises adjustment of fire on a target by observations
4. a person, esp one engaged in civil defence, who watches for enemy aircraft
5. informal.
   an employee assigned to spy on his colleagues in order to check on their honesty
6. films
   1. a person who checks against irregularities and inconsistencies
   2. a person who searches for new material, performers, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of spotter¹

First recorded in 1605–15; spot + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Berkeley police said they identified Hue thanks to interviews with witnesses and a review of surveillance video, along with Shot Spotter and automated license plate recognition technologies.

From Los Angeles Times

An Israeli military official has told the BBC that it carried out a deadly strike on a five-storey residential building in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on Tuesday in response to seeing a “spotter” on the roof with binoculars observing Israeli forces.

From BBC

The aircraft enthusiast, who would only be identified by his X user name, @EHEH_spotter, confirmed to the BBC that he had made the recording using a scanner.

From BBC

Audio of the passenger jet's crew alerting air traffic control to the potential threat was recorded by a Dutch plane spotter.

From BBC

Towards the front of the train, her father, John, acted as a spotter, giving Edwards a brief warning of upcoming photo opportunities.

From BBC

Related Words

• agent
• detective
• informer
• investigator
• mole
• operative
• secret agent
• secret service
• undercover agent