What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Spot vs Employ - What's the difference?

spot | employ | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between spot and employ

is that spot is a round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape while employ is the state of being an employee; employment.

As verbs the difference between spot and employ

is that spot is to see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify while employ is to hire (somebody for work or a job).

As a proper noun Spot

is a popular given name for a dog.

spot

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.
  • The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur.
  • A stain or disfiguring mark.
  • I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out.
  • A pimple, papule or pustule.
  • That morning, I saw that a spot had come up on my chin.
    I think she's got chicken pox; she's covered in spots .
  • A small, unspecified amount or quantity.
  • Would you like to come round on Sunday for a spot of lunch?
  • (slang, US) A bill of five-dollar or ten-dollar denomination in dollars.
  • Here's the twenty bucks I owe you, a ten spot''' and two five '''spots .
  • A location or area.
  • I like to eat lunch in a pleasant spot outside.
    For our anniversary we went back to the same spot where we first met.
  • * Milton
  • That spot to which I point is Paradise.
  • * Wordsworth
  • "A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! / But something ails it now: the spot is cursed."
  • * 2011 , Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/15210221.stm]
  • Yachvilli made it 6-0 with a second sweet strike from 45 metres after Matt Stevens was penalised for collapsing a scrum, and then slid another penalty just wide from the same spot .
  • A parking space.
  • *
  • (sports) An official determination of placement.
  • The fans were very unhappy with the referee's spot of the ball.
  • A bright lamp; a spotlight.
  • (US, advertising) A brief advertisement or program segment on television.
  • Did you see the spot on the news about the shoelace factory?
  • Difficult situation; predicament
  • She was in a real spot when she ran into her separated husband while on a date.
  • (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting) One who spots (supports or assists a maneuver, or is prepared to assist if safety dictates); a spotter
  • (soccer) penalty spot
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=January 8 , author=Chris Bevan , title=Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot . }}
  • The act of spotting or noticing something.
  • - You've misspelled "terrapin" here.
    ''- Whoops. Good spot .
  • A variety of the common domestic pigeon, so called from a spot on its head just above the beak.
  • A food fish (Liostomus xanthurus ) of the Atlantic coast of the United States, with a black spot behind the shoulders and fifteen oblique dark bars on the sides.
  • The southern redfish, or red horse, which has a spot on each side at the base of the tail.
  • (in the plural, brokers' slang, dated) Commodities, such as merchandise and cotton, sold for immediate delivery.
  • An autosoliton.
  • Derived terms

    * on the spot * put someone on the spot * sitspot * shot spot * spot check * spot color / spot colour * spot market * spot on * spot remover * spotty * X marks the spot

    Verb

    (spott)
  • To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify
  • Try to spot the differences between these two pictures.
  • (finance) To loan a small amount of money to someone.
  • I’ll spot you ten dollars for lunch.
  • (ambitransitive) To stain; to leave a spot (on).
  • Hard water will spot if it is left on a surface.
    a garment spotted with mould
  • To remove, or attempt to remove, a stain.
  • I spotted the carpet where the child dropped spaghetti.
  • (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting, climbing) To support or assist a maneuver, or to be prepared to assist if safety dictates.
  • I can’t do a back handspring unless somebody spots me.
  • (dance) To keep the head and eyes pointing in a single direction while turning.
  • Most figure skaters do not spot their turns like dancers do.
  • To stain; to blemish; to taint; to disgrace; to tarnish, as reputation.
  • * Sir Philip Sidney
  • My virgin life no spotted thoughts shall stain.
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
  • If ever I shall close these eyes but once, / May I live spotted for my perjury.
  • To cut or chip (timber) in preparation for hewing.
  • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    employ

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (l) (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The state of being an employee; employment.
  • ''The school district has six thousand teachers in its employ .

    Synonyms

    * employment * hire

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To hire (somebody for work or a job).
  • * 1668 July 3rd, , “Thomas Rue contra'' Andrew Hou?toun” in ''The Deci?ions of the Lords of Council & Se??ion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 547
  • Andrew Hou?toun'' and ''Adam Mu?het'', being Tack?men of the Excize, did Imploy ''Thomas Rue'' to be their Collector, and gave him a Sallary of 30. pound ''Sterling for a year.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1959, author=(Georgette Heyer), title=(The Unknown Ajax), chapter=1
  • , passage=Charles had not been employed above six months at Darracott Place, but he was not such a whopstraw as to make the least noise in the performance of his duties when his lordship was out of humour.}}
  • To use (somebody for a job, or something for a task).
  • * 1598 , (William Shakespeare), (Othello) , Act 1, Scene iii:
  • Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you / against the general enemy Ottoman.
  • * (Joseph Addison) (1672-1719)
  • This is a day in which the thoughtsought to be employed on serious subjects.
  • *{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Charles T. Ambrose
  • , title= Alzheimer’s Disease , volume=101, issue=3, page=200, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.}}
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=(Gary Younge)
  • , volume=188, issue=26, page=18, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution , passage=The dispatches […] also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies. Having lectured the Arab world about democracy for years, its collusion in suppressing freedom was undeniable as protesters were met by weaponry and tear gas made in the west, employed by a military trained by westerners.}}
  • To make busy.
  • * 1598 , (William Shakespeare), (The Merchant of Venice) , Act 2, Scene viii:
  • Let it not enter in your mind of love: / Be merry, and employ your chiefest thoughts / to courtship and such fair ostents of love / as shall conveniently become you there

    Derived terms

    * employee * employer * employment