Word.ws English Dictionary

on spec

on spec adverb: in hope of success, using one's best guess.

Adverb

on spec (not comparable)

  1. In hope of success, using one's best guess.
    • I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better
      Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago,
      He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,
      Just on spec, addressed as follows, “Clancy, of The Overflow”.1889, Banjo Paterson, Clancy of the Overflow
  2. (colloquial) With the hope of selling it, as opposed to on commission (for hire) or with some other likewise assured outlet for getting paid or reselling.
    • I'm writing an article on spec. I hope some magazine will buy it.
    • He bought the land on spec — he thinks it's likely to be rezoned commercial and subdivided.

Origin of on spec

Clipping of on speculation.

Questions about on spec

What does on spec mean?
On spec means in hope of success, using one's best guess.
What part of speech is on spec?
On spec is an adverb.

Words near on spec in the dictionary

  1. on someone's radar screen
  2. on someone's side
  3. on someone's tail
  4. on song
  5. on speaking terms
  6. on spec
  7. on special
  8. on stage
  9. on steroids
  10. on stream
  11. on strike

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: on spec (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “on spec.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/on_spec. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.