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 glittery flecks catch the sun just-so, adding up to a low-key statement swimsuit. —Annie Blackman, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026

Locked in a safe on her desk at Boston University’s Institute for Astrophysical Research is a shard of meteorite flecked with material older than the sun. —James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 2 Mar. 2026

Noun

Using x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, scholars determined that the ancient off-white fluid was composed of calcite, huntite, and miniscule flecks of yellow orpiment, a highly toxic sulfide of arsenic that Egyptians also used in medicine to treat syphilis and malaria. —News Desk, Artforum, 9 Mar. 2026

Jade feels calming yet luxurious, especially when paired with flecks of gold leaf. —Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 5 Mar. 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