someone's weak spot

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   A thing or subject that someone likes so much that they find it hard to resist.

   Grammar: Used with a possessive word before weak spot: my weak spot, her weak spot.

   Patterns

   • someone's weak spot for something
   • something is someone's weak spot

   Chocolate is my weak spot — I can never stop at one piece.

   He has a real weak spot for old jazz records and spends far too much on them.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   A part of someone's character that is easily hurt or easily influenced.

   Grammar: Often followed by for: a weak spot for flattery.

   Patterns

   • someone's weak spot for something
   • attack someone's weak spot

   Flattery is his weak spot, and salespeople know it.

   A good interviewer finds your weak spot and asks about it.

3. 3phrasefixed phrase

   A point in a system, plan, or object that is easier to attack or break than the rest.

   Grammar: Used about things as well as people; the weak spot of a team, a wall, a plan.

   Patterns

   • the weak spot in something
   • the weak spot of something

   The goalkeeper was the weak spot in an otherwise strong team.

   Engineers found a weak spot in the bridge and repaired it.

Common combinations

have a weak spot for

She has a weak spot for stray cats and takes them all home.

someone's only weak spot

His only weak spot is his pride.

find a weak spot

The attackers looked for a weak spot in the defense.

hit someone's weak spot

His remark hit her weak spot and she left the room.

Synonyms and how they differ

weakness

More general and slightly more negative; a weakness can be a fault, while a weak spot often sounds affectionate.

soft spot

Very close in the 'fondness' sense, and it is the more common choice for that meaning.

weak point

Better for systems and arguments than for people's feelings, and it sounds more neutral and critical.

Opposites

Word family

weak adjective

not strong; easily broken or influenced

weakness noun

a lack of strength, or a fault in someone or something

weaken verb

to make or become less strong

Commonly confused: someone's weak spot or soft spot?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “someone's weak spot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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