fleck

1 of 2

verb

ˈflek 

flecked; flecking; flecks

transitive verb

1

: streak, spot

brown hair flecked with gray

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 of fleck

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

The pillowy dough is flecked with cinnamon and crowded with tender chunks of apple. — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Mikey Madison’s pink- and purple-flecked tinsel became one of the defining beauty details of Ani in 2024’s Anora, while Zara Larsson has made shimmering, maximalist hair a fixture of her Midnight Sun era. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026

Noun

Add the torn basil and process just until incorporated -- there will be flecks of green in the mixture. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Some kits include stone-like chips or flecks to scatter over the surface of the wet paint for a realistic effect. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026

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