as in blotch
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part a tie having eyespots of blue on a light gray background

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of eyespot The team observed laser emissions in two distinct wavelengths for all color regions of the feathers' eyespots, with the green color regions emitting the most intense laser light. Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2025 The great argus is an at-risk species with an elaborate pattern of eyespots on its tail feathers, according to Thai National Parks. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 May 2025 Peacock butterflies are distinguished by a series of striking eyespots on their wings, which serve to threaten or confuse potential predators. Michael Franco, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2024 But why did some lineages evolve shell eyes rather than eyespots? Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 First, red eyespots appear; then the amorphous bodies coalesce and darken into their ferocious adult forms. Nala Rogers, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023 Their long hindwing tails and eyespots combine to give them a look resembling an elephant’s face. Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2023 The 30-centimeter-long adult grows out of a larva that is little more than a sesame seed–size blob with an eyespot at one end and a band of cilia around its body. Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 17 Jan. 2023 First, Rowland and her co-author trained chicks to attack a mealworm hidden behind a paper printout of two eyespots at the end of a runway. Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eyespot
Noun
  • Dark brown blotches of varying sizes dot their sides and back.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
  • This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Gabe Landeskog beat Casey Mittelstadt cleanly in the right faceoff dot and Josh Manson scored on a slapper from the blue line.
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The latter has been such a consistent issue under Napier that UF got a kindergartenesque chart where players stand on one of 11 dots before trotting onto the field.
    Noah White, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The room is shadowy but lively, with the sense that there are things going on in every speck of the frame.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Every splash of rain, speck of dust, or pinprick of light could mar the negative.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • By day thirteen, red patches of blood appear.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Next pick out a patch of sky 40 degrees above the star.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The light brown hair, worn in an all-purpose crop, bears flecks of gray.
    Nathan Heller, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Yes, these flecks are seeds that were once inside of a vanilla bean, confirms Britton.
    Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Eyespot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eyespot. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

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