fleck

1 of 2

verb

ˈflek 

flecked; flecking; flecks

transitive verb

1

: streak, spot

whitecaps flecked the blue sea

2

: to color as if by sprinkling with flecks

his wit is flecked with sarcasm

—James Atlas

fleck

2 of 2

noun

1

: spot, mark

a brown tweed with flecks of yellow

2

: flake, particle

flecks of snow drifted down

Synonyms

Verb

• blotch
• dapple
• dot
• freckle
• marble
• mottle
• pepper
• shoot
• speck
• speckle
• splotch
• spot
• sprinkle
• stipple

Noun

• blotch
• dapple
• dot
• eyespot
• mottle
• patch
• pip
• point
• speck
• speckle
• splotch
• spot

Examples of fleck in a Sentence

Verb

She flecked the canvas with blue paint.

to achieve the desired effect, fleck the canvas with paint simply by flicking the brush close to the surface

Noun

a brown cloth with flecks of yellow

The police found flecks of blood on his clothes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The crust gets brushed with olive oil and flecked with sea salt before it’s all fired in an oven fueled by almond wood. —Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024

Her debut memoir is steeped in humidity and flecked with beads of sweat, pricked by mosquitoes, and slathered with candy-scented body lotion. —Kristen Arnett, TIME, 4 June 2024

Noun

Dark Chocolate Cookies & Cream: There’s nothing cookie-cutter about this new dark chocolate ice cream made with dark chocolate cookie pieces and flecks of cream filling. —Tracy Yochum, Miami Herald, 4 June 2024

Lime zest: Adds a bright acidity and flecks of lime. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from flecked spotted, from Middle English; akin to Old High German flec spot, Old Norse flekkr

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fleck

1 of 2 verb

ˈflek 

: streak entry 2 sense 1, spot

fleck

2 of 2 noun

1

: spot entry 1 sense 2a, mark

2

: flake entry 1, particle