Meaning & use
liver spot
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Meanings
nouncountable
A small, flat, brownish patch on the skin, often caused by sun exposure or aging and usually harmless.
Grammar: Countable: one mark is a liver spot; several are liver spots.
Patterns
- have liver spots
- a liver spot on something
- develop liver spots
She noticed a small liver spot on the back of her hand after years of gardening in the sun.
The doctor said the liver spots were nothing to worry about and were just part of getting older.
He uses sunscreen every day to keep new liver spots from appearing on his face.
nouncountablemedical
A dark patch on the skin linked to a liver disorder, especially in medical use.
Grammar: Countable, but this medical sense is less common in everyday speech.
Patterns
- a liver spot associated with something
- show liver spots
In some liver diseases, patients may develop liver spots as the organ struggles to clear waste.
The medical report described a liver spot on the patient's chest, but further tests were needed.
Word forms
| plural | liver spots |
|---|
Common combinations
- liver spot on the skin
- The dermatologist examined a liver spot on the skin near her shoulder.
- develop liver spots
- People with fair skin often develop liver spots later in life.
- harmless liver spot
- The biopsy confirmed it was a harmless liver spot.
- facial liver spots
- She tried a cream to lighten her facial liver spots.
Synonyms and how they differ
- age spot
- Age spot is the more common everyday term for the harmless brown marks; liver spot is often used in the same way but can sound more medical.
- sun spot
- Sun spot emphasizes the role of sunlight; liver spot is broader and can also refer to the medical liver-related sense.
Word family
- liver noun
- The large organ in the body that processes waste; it appears in the name of this skin mark.
Commonly confused: liver spot or freckle?
liver spot vs freckle
Freckles are tiny spots that often appear in childhood and fade; liver spots are larger, flatter patches that usually come with age.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'liver spot' in the most common everyday way?
Choose one answer.
The everyday sense is a harmless mark on the skin, often from sun or aging. The other options use the word in unrelated or nonsensical contexts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “liver spot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.