spotter

[ spot-er ]
See synonyms for spotter on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. Informal. a person employed to watch the activity and behavior of others, especially employees, as for evidence of dishonesty.

  2. Military. an observer at a forward position who singles out targets for gunners.

  3. a person or thing that spots.

  4. (in small-arms practice firing) a small black disk attached to the target to make more prominent the places where a bullet has hit.

  5. an assistant to a sportscaster who provides the names of the players chiefly involved in each play of a game, especially a football game.

  6. 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.

Origin of spotter

1
First recorded in 1605–15; spot + -er1

Words Nearby spotter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use spotter in a sentence

  • "It's probably that cow-boy spotter of Norcross's, but he can't get away," Hatch was gritting—meaning Tarbell, probably.

    The Wreckers | Francis Lynde
  • He was still below the alleged spotter with its straw-stuffed observer when Tam dived for him.

    Tam O' The Scoots | Edgar Wallace
  • Not the least dangerous of the many services the airplane is performing is that of the artillery “spotter.”

    The Romance of Aircraft | Lawrence Yard Smith
  • Or he may have to report the results of a mock bombardment, and thus prepare himself for the duties of the artillery “spotter.”

    The Romance of Aircraft | Lawrence Yard Smith
  • We were watching the top of the hill and saw the little L4 spotter planes flying low and directing the artillery fire.

British Dictionary definitions for spotter

spotter

/ (ˈspɒtə) /


noun
    • a person or thing that watches or observes

    • (as modifier): a spotter plane

  1. a person who makes a hobby of watching for and noting numbers or types of trains, buses, etc: a train spotter

  1. military a person who orders or advises adjustment of fire on a target by observations

  2. a person, esp one engaged in civil defence, who watches for enemy aircraft

  3. US informal an employee assigned to spy on his colleagues in order to check on their honesty

  4. films

    • a person who checks against irregularities and inconsistencies

    • a person who searches for new material, performers, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012