mote

noun

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\ ˈmōt

Definition of mote

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a small particle : speck motes danced in the shafts of sunlight— Margaret Kennedy

mote

auxiliary verb

Definition of mote (Entry 2 of 2)

archaic

: may, might

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about mote

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Examples of mote in a Sentence

Noun there's not a mote of dirt in that woman's house

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The recipe is based on Colombia’s traditional mote de queso. — Washington Post, "Remember Blend 111? Forget its debut and feast on its much-improved second act.," 24 Dec. 2020 Cling to a mote of integrity, and Trump will destroy your political fortunes with a tweet. — al, "The Biggest Phony," 20 Dec. 2020 Even in the narrow disk, which is less than half an inch wide, Trichoplax is so small that finding it with the naked eye is like searching for a dust mote in a gymnasium. — Emily Underwood, The Atlantic, "The Search for the World’s Simplest Animal," 8 June 2020 But the superconducting sensors could measure only the average field across the zircons, which are as small as motes of dust. — Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, "Diamond microscope reveals slow crawl of Earth’s ancient crust," 22 Apr. 2020 The larvae, which live in the water, attach themselves to rocks by one end, and use feathery appendages at the other end as a kind of net to catch the tiniest bits of edible detritus — motes that are too small for fish and other insects. — James Gorman, New York Times, "Meet the Bloodsuckers," 28 Oct. 2019 Viruses infiltrate every aspect of our natural world, seething in seawater, drifting through the atmosphere, and lurking in miniscule motes of soil. — Lynn Johnson, National Geographic, "See the Full Archive," 15 Apr. 2020 At the top, a half-open door emits a cloud of sparkly dust motes or tiny stars that may at first escape your notice. — Roberta Smith, New York Times, "Noah Davis Is Gone; His Paintings Continue to Hypnotize," 6 Feb. 2020 Reality was droning on as usual, with impartial sunlight streaming through a nearby window and picking out swirls of dust motes. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "The Art of Dying," 16 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mote.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.