on-the-spot
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Happening or done at the exact place and time of an event
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Xảy ra hoặc được thực hiện tại chính xác nơi và thời điểm của sự kiện
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: on the spot
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The reporter gave an on-the-spot description of the accident
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “on-the-spot” mean?
Happening or done at the exact place and time of an event Literally: on the spot
Is “on-the-spot” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.