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

• sprinkle
• dot
• stain
• pepper
• speck

Noun

• speck
• dot
• blotch
• patch

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

Éclairs with glossy chocolate tops, macarons in muted pastels that feel like edible architecture, madeleines flecked with salt or spice. —Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025

Or try the takikomi gohan — a hot stone pot of crispy rice flecked with roasted mushrooms, edamame and sweet pea shoots and sauced with black garlic oil and a glossy egg yolk. —Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025

Noun

Its black and white or brown flecks convey a fresh, modern feel that's ideal for breaking away from the tyranny of basics. —María Munsuri, Glamour, 24 Aug. 2025

Although other pests cause similar damage, thrips damage is often associate with numerous small flecks of dark green to black fecal matter. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025

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

Rhymes for fleck

• beck
• breck
• check
• cheque
• czech
• deck
• keck
• mech
• neck
• peck
• reck
• sec

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