How to Use on spec in a Sentence
on spec
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And the only way to have a script is to write one on spec.
—Alex Convery, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023
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Was that the jumping-off point for writing Air on spec?
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2023
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The song was written on spec and then submitted out of the blue by Swift, the filmmakers revealed.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 23 June 2022
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May, considered by historians as the father of the ranch house, built the low-slung dwelling on spec in the mid-1930s, across the street from his own home.
—Marni Elyse Katz, House Beautiful, 19 Oct. 2022
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After hearing about the 1985 story, Warden wrote the script on spec and hoped his old bosses would like it.
—Jake Coyle, ajc, 21 Feb. 2023
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The yacht was started on spec and sold to a buyer during construction.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2023
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According to Variety, the house is brand-new and was built on spec, so there are no photographs available yet.
—Tierney McAfee, Country Living, 10 May 2020
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Hanna-Barbera was a relatively small studio at the time that was short of writers, and the pair started submitting gags and scripts on spec.
—New York Times, 31 Aug. 2020
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Writers can still work on spec scripts (a project that isn’t being shopped around, and the writer isn’t engaging with a production company for the purchase of it), Handel said.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2023
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Writers can still work on spec scripts (a project that isn’t being shopped around, and the writer isn’t engaging with a production company for the purchase of it), Handel said.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2023
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Jeffrey Eugenides had never approved anyone to adapt his novel but Sofia decided to write the script on spec anyway.
—Keaton Bell, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2021
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The seller is Canadian developer Francesco Aquilini, who’s been making a small fortune on spec developments in the area over the last few years.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2022
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The manufacturers had made some BA.1-containing vaccine on spec, but then switched production to BA.4/5.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 26 Jan. 2023
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From that point, Trammell pioneered the concept of building on spec everything from warehouses to office towers to apartments and hotels.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 20 Apr. 2023
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From that point, Trammell pioneered the concept of building on spec everything from warehouses to office towers to apartments and hotels.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 20 Apr. 2023
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If a cancellation policy is generous, there’s also no harm in booking on spec—even if a destination isn’t even open yet.
—Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes, 15 May 2021
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Amazon Studios landed the script on spec in a competitive situation.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 7 Mar. 2023
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For all the Hollywood success stories — writers who get big feature films made or develop popular TV shows — many more live a day-to-day struggle of writing on spec, selling pilots that never get made and taking meetings that go nowhere.
—Erica Werner, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
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Republic’s model resembles that of the popular entrepreneurial crowdfunding site Kickstarter, but instead of buying a product on spec, users are scooping up a very small share of a company itself.
—Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, 3 May 2021
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That’s no doubt due to its screenwriter, Mitchell LaFortune, a former military intelligence officer who sold this script, supposedly based on his real-life experiences, on spec.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 May 2023
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on spec.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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