dot

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈdät 

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

dot

2 of 4

verb

ˈdät 

dotted; dotting

transitive verb

1

: to mark with a dot

2

: to intersperse with dots or objects scattered at random

boats dotting the lake

intransitive verb

: to make a dot

dotter noun

dot

3 of 4

noun (2)

ˈdȯt 

: dowry sense 1

DOT

4 of 4

abbreviation

Department of Transportation

Synonyms

Noun (1)

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

Verb

• bestrew
• pepper
• scatter
• sow
• spot
• spray
• sprinkle
• strew

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

Noun

The Naugatuck train station is a small plexiglass box with a single bench, a lone dot in the expanse of the concrete parking lot, just across from the loading dock of a post office. —Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025

The black dot on your iPhone after upgrading to iOS 18.4 is not a bug at all. —Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

Verb

The series of parables and contained narratives are also dotted with evidence of time travel. —Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 13 May 2025

In spring, the area will be dotted with wild blooms of sticky monkey flower, canyon sunflower and golden yarrow. —Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English *dot, from Old English dott head of a boil; akin to Old High German tutta nipple

Noun (2)

French, from Latin dot-, dos dowry

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1740, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1822, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dot

• dot-com
• dot-commer
• dot matrix
• dot product
• on the dot
• polka dot
• quantum dot
• since (the) year dot

Rhymes for dot

• aught
• baht
• blot
• bott
• bought
• brought
• caught
• clot
• cot
• cott
• fought
• fraught

Kids Definition

dot

1 of 2 noun

ˈdät 

1

: 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

ˈdät 

: a small spot or speck see maurer's dots, schuffner's dots

Legal Definition

DOT

abbreviation

Department of Transportation