1
: a small spot : speck entry 1
2
: a small round mark: such as
a(1)
: a small point made with a pointed instrument
a dot on the chart marked the ship's position
(2)
: a small round mark used in orthography or punctuation
put a dot over the i
b
: a centered point used as a multiplication sign (as in 6 · 5 = 30)
c(1)
: a point after a note or rest in music indicating augmentation of the time value by one half
(2)
: a point over or under a note indicating that it is to be played staccato
3
: a precise point especially in time
arrived at six on the dot
4
: a short click or buzz forming a letter or part of a letter (as in the Morse code)
5
: a point used to separate components of an address on the Internet
dotted; dotting
1
: to mark with a dot
2
: to intersperse with dots or objects scattered at random
boats dotting the lake
: to make a dot
dotter
noun
Department of Transportation
Synonyms
Examples of dot in a Sentence
Noun (1)
there was just a dot on the tablecloth where the food had spattered
Verb
Don't forget to dot the i.
Quaint cottages dot the countryside.
The fields were dotted with wildflowers.
Dot the cream all over your face.
Recent Examples on the Web
C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 12 May 2024
That’s your brain’s way of connecting the dots and coming up with a solution.
—Jennifer Robinson, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2024
Even a jerkbait with a buoyant balsa wood body that will rise incredibly fast on the pause can be made to hover with the addition of a few dots.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 9 May 2024
On a computer screen, the codas appeared as a series of dots along a horizontal line, each dot representing a click.
—Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 7 May 2024
Our integrated digital marketing solutions help businesses connect the dots.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
The Purple Galaxy Tomato splashed across the cover of this season's Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog: a closeup of a blackish-purple tomato speckled with tiny pink dots.
—Sasa Woodruff, NPR, 28 Apr. 2024
Tia Mowry's Looking like a Greek goddess will never go out of style, so a sculpted dot contour—a look created by blending a single dot of a contouring cream or liquid from the center of your cheek—is a great wedding guest makeup hack.
—Loren Savini, Allure, 25 Apr. 2024
It’s got Swiss dots, a V-neck, and flutter sleeves.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 12 May 2024
Today, those sweeping vistas are dotted with industrial development that is transforming Arizona’s economy.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2024
The park’s winding path was dotted with joggers and pedestrians as the sun beat down.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2024
There are now security towers dotting the tarmac and members of the army and Haiti National Police are on constant patrol.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
The sharp black triangles of their dorsal fins felt like the yin to the yang of the white sails dotting the sound.
—Jesse Ashlock, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 May 2024
The hills around us are dotted with chaparral vegetation, and Los Angeles sprawls just south of here.
—Kai McNamee, NPR, 13 May 2024
Headstones and monuments dot more than 30 acres of land at Sacramento’s Historic City Cemetery.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 28 Apr. 2024
Streams and gardens dot the property, where there are 252 airy rooms, including 51 suites.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2024
Noun
Gone will be the pre-World War II row houses awash in faded yellow, light blue, pink and green that dot portions of the block along NW 62nd Street in Miami.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 12 May 2024
That’s your brain’s way of connecting the dots and coming up with a solution.
—Jennifer Robinson, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2024
Even a jerkbait with a buoyant balsa wood body that will rise incredibly fast on the pause can be made to hover with the addition of a few dots.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 9 May 2024
On a computer screen, the codas appeared as a series of dots along a horizontal line, each dot representing a click.
—Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 7 May 2024
Our integrated digital marketing solutions help businesses connect the dots.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 3 May 2024
The Purple Galaxy Tomato splashed across the cover of this season's Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog: a closeup of a blackish-purple tomato speckled with tiny pink dots.
—Sasa Woodruff, NPR, 28 Apr. 2024
Tia Mowry's Looking like a Greek goddess will never go out of style, so a sculpted dot contour—a look created by blending a single dot of a contouring cream or liquid from the center of your cheek—is a great wedding guest makeup hack.
—Loren Savini, Allure, 25 Apr. 2024
It’s got Swiss dots, a V-neck, and flutter sleeves.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
Verb
Seven Mile Beach is dotted with affordable and delicious local beach shacks.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 12 May 2024
Today, those sweeping vistas are dotted with industrial development that is transforming Arizona’s economy.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2024
The park’s winding path was dotted with joggers and pedestrians as the sun beat down.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2024
There are now security towers dotting the tarmac and members of the army and Haiti National Police are on constant patrol.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
The sharp black triangles of their dorsal fins felt like the yin to the yang of the white sails dotting the sound.
—Jesse Ashlock, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 May 2024
The hills around us are dotted with chaparral vegetation, and Los Angeles sprawls just south of here.
—Kai McNamee, NPR, 13 May 2024
Headstones and monuments dot more than 30 acres of land at Sacramento’s Historic City Cemetery.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 28 Apr. 2024
Streams and gardens dot the property, where there are 252 airy rooms, including 51 suites.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to dot
Dictionary Entries Near dot
Cite this Entry
“Dot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dot. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dot
1 of 2 noun1
: a small spot : speck
2
: a small round mark made with or as if with a pen: as
a
: a point after a note or rest in music indicating increase of the time value by one half
b
: a centered dot · used as a sign of multiplication
3
: an exact point in time or space
arrived at six on the dot
4
: a short click or buzz forming a letter or part of a letter (as in the Morse code)
dot
2 of 2 verb
dotted; dotting
1
: to mark with a dot
dot an "i"
2
: to cover with or as if with dots
green buds dotted the branches
dotter
noun
Medical Definition
dot
noun
: a small spot or speck see maurer's dots, schuffner's dots
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