flecked; flecking; flecks
2
: to color as if by sprinkling with flecks
his wit is flecked with sarcasm—
James Atlas
James Atlas
Synonyms
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 WebAngelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
In the foreground, earthy brown is flecked with bright stabs of pink leaves; a towering peak beyond it cascades torrents of olive green.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2023
In addition to the French toast, flecked with cinnamon and encased in a delicate layer of egg, the salmon croquettes are another of Boyce’s favorite dishes.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2023
The movie gives us time to revel in the quiet loveliness of a scene where Miles and Gwen bond, hanging upside down, on the dome of the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower, or to notice that the texture of the characters’ skin is flecked with comic-book dots.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 May 2023
Try the housemade focaccia (900 pesos), the polpette al sugo (meatballs in tomato sauce flecked with shards of rich, sharp parmesan, 2,700 pesos) and fusilli topped with pesto and pomodoro sauce (2,400 pesos).
—Maria Cramer, New York Times, 18 May 2023
Noseda extracted rich color from its catastrophic blasts of horns and climbing strings, and ably guided the orchestra through its constantly shifting terrain — a stretch of long, luminous calm; a furtively plodding passage flecked with percussive punctuation; the mounting cataclysm of its close.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2023
Shrimp flecked with cilantro and garlic sizzle on a flattop.
—Priya Krishna, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2023
KoBold Metals Brownish flecks in this core sample, KSC 22-07, reveal the presence of magmatic pyrrhotite.
—Josh Goldman, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Apr. 2023
Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 25 Aug. 2023
Some of these inks have flecks of silver and gold, while others are scented with lavender and rose hydrosols sourced from Grasse, the perfume capital.
—Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 8 Aug. 2023
In addition to their metal and death-metal influences, the band’s sound includes flecks of prog and goth.
—Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 7 Aug. 2023
For decades, the chief sources of PM2.5 in the U.S. have been smokestacks, factories, and vehicle tail pipes and tires slapping off microscopic flecks of rubber.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 31 July 2023
Scientists have also come to appreciate the dust itself, realizing these tiny flecks of carbon, silicon, and other matter are responsible for large-scale processes in the universe, such as new star formation.
—Popular Science, 19 July 2023
And low Earth orbit also is polluted with debris, traveling at 5 miles per second, so fast that even a small piece, a bolt or even a fleck of paint, can cause enormous damage.
—Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 2 July 2023
That snow contains tiny flecks of the massive creatures — mostly cells shed from their foot pads.
—Ned Rozell | Alaska Science, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Apr. 2023
Once cooled, the roasted vegetables are pulsed in a food processor with a brightening splash of vinegar and a little thyme, until the mixture is fairly smooth but still has some flecks of texture.
—Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023
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Verb
In the towering work, Mexican American novelist Sandra Cisneros stands before a searing sky of impossible reds flecked with fiery yellows and deep maroons.
—Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
In the foreground, earthy brown is flecked with bright stabs of pink leaves; a towering peak beyond it cascades torrents of olive green.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2023
In addition to the French toast, flecked with cinnamon and encased in a delicate layer of egg, the salmon croquettes are another of Boyce’s favorite dishes.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2023
The movie gives us time to revel in the quiet loveliness of a scene where Miles and Gwen bond, hanging upside down, on the dome of the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower, or to notice that the texture of the characters’ skin is flecked with comic-book dots.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 31 May 2023
Try the housemade focaccia (900 pesos), the polpette al sugo (meatballs in tomato sauce flecked with shards of rich, sharp parmesan, 2,700 pesos) and fusilli topped with pesto and pomodoro sauce (2,400 pesos).
—Maria Cramer, New York Times, 18 May 2023
Noseda extracted rich color from its catastrophic blasts of horns and climbing strings, and ably guided the orchestra through its constantly shifting terrain — a stretch of long, luminous calm; a furtively plodding passage flecked with percussive punctuation; the mounting cataclysm of its close.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2023
Shrimp flecked with cilantro and garlic sizzle on a flattop.
—Priya Krishna, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2023
KoBold Metals Brownish flecks in this core sample, KSC 22-07, reveal the presence of magmatic pyrrhotite.
—Josh Goldman, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Apr. 2023
Noun
The light purple body features flecks of powdered aluminum to create a glistening finish while the hood is a darker hue, the contrast meant to represent different stages of the flower's bloom.
—Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 25 Aug. 2023
Some of these inks have flecks of silver and gold, while others are scented with lavender and rose hydrosols sourced from Grasse, the perfume capital.
—Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 8 Aug. 2023
In addition to their metal and death-metal influences, the band’s sound includes flecks of prog and goth.
—Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 7 Aug. 2023
For decades, the chief sources of PM2.5 in the U.S. have been smokestacks, factories, and vehicle tail pipes and tires slapping off microscopic flecks of rubber.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 31 July 2023
Scientists have also come to appreciate the dust itself, realizing these tiny flecks of carbon, silicon, and other matter are responsible for large-scale processes in the universe, such as new star formation.
—Popular Science, 19 July 2023
And low Earth orbit also is polluted with debris, traveling at 5 miles per second, so fast that even a small piece, a bolt or even a fleck of paint, can cause enormous damage.
—Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 2 July 2023
That snow contains tiny flecks of the massive creatures — mostly cells shed from their foot pads.
—Ned Rozell | Alaska Science, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Apr. 2023
Once cooled, the roasted vegetables are pulsed in a food processor with a brightening splash of vinegar and a little thyme, until the mixture is fairly smooth but still has some flecks of texture.
—Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fleck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of fleck was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near fleck
Cite this Entry
“Fleck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fleck. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
fleck
1 of 2 verbfleck
2 of 2 noun2
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