on the dot

/ɑn ðə dɑt/

/ɒn ðə dɒt/

When something is exact, it's on the dot. When it's 2:00 p.m. on the dot, it is precisely 2:00 p.m. — not a minute earlier or later.

A dot is very small. If you tried to hit a dot with a tiny dart, you'd have to be incredibly accurate. Similarly, anything on the dot is done precisely. The expression on the dot usually refers to an exact time. If a meeting takes an hour on the dot, it didn't go one second over. This term is all about precision.

Definitions of on the dot

1. adverb

   just as it should be
   synonyms: exactly, on the button, on the nose, precisely