1
as in fleck
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part
a lizard with specks of white against a green body
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in glimmer
a very small amount
not a speck of explanation to accompany the book's pictures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in particle
a very small piece
a speck of dust was preventing the laser from reading the disc
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to sprinkle
to mark with small spots especially unevenly
dirt that had specked the windows of the factory for ages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of speck
Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
Learning how to apply mascara correctly can level up your whole eye look—but without the proper technique, even the best mascara can leave you with clumps, smears, or black specks across your face.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
New York Times, 16 Nov. 2019
For all its strengths, though, the series proves a bit of a slog, at times, as the wheels turn along the dusty, blood-specked road to wherever this maze leads.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 19 Apr. 2018
See All Example Sentences for speck
Noun
A little speck on the metaphorical Southlake Carroll wall that’s been historically dominated by its eight-time state champion football program.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
Learning how to apply mascara correctly can level up your whole eye look—but without the proper technique, even the best mascara can leave you with clumps, smears, or black specks across your face.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
The 656-foot vessel, called the Golden Ray, has been lying since early September off a slice of the Georgia coast specked with resorts and sprawling high-dollar homes.
—New York Times, 16 Nov. 2019
For all its strengths, though, the series proves a bit of a slog, at times, as the wheels turn along the dusty, blood-specked road to wherever this maze leads.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 19 Apr. 2018
See All Example Sentences for speck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speck
Noun
-
Berber carpet Berber is a type of loop pile carpet with flecks of color.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
While the storm is looming, there are new glimmers of possibility—friends can become lovers, strangers can become friends on the subway, the supermarket aisles are charged with meaning.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
But there are glimmers of hope beyond the carnage, too.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Dozens of amateur and professional photographers were invited to find beauty in the invisible world of force fields and subatomic particles, which blip into existence for fractions of a second and hold secrets about the origin and fate of the universe.—
Zack Savitsky,
Quanta Magazine,
1 Apr. 2026
-
When the fungi were grown on wood chips or sawdust, the resulting spongy material could be pressed and baked into blocks and sheets resembling concrete, particle board, and plywood.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Spread mixture into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with queso fresco.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Amid more than a decade now without a Top 10 lottery pick (Justise Winslow was the last, at No, 10 in 2015), the Heat have found a way to remain competitive, with a few deep playoff runs sprinkled in.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The eggs vary in color—from white to blue to brown—with speckles, blotches, and other markings and are also distinctive in shape.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Early salt damage often appears as pale, chalky blotches or uneven fading in the paint finish.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Microplastics are tiny and sometimes invisible shreds of plastic that can be produced by the breakdown of plastic, the shedding of clothing fibers, manufacturing processes, and more.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Rather than melting, the tangy, creamy pimento cheese spread, with cheese shreds still intact, created a bright counterpoint to the charred Angus beef smash burger.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When the crew retracted the drill to replace its bit, an overpowering jet of oil fountained from the well.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Young Alfred Tennyson grew up in a similarly provincial bit of England, tucked away in his father’s vicarage on a remote part of the east coast of England in a village of fewer than a hundred souls.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The main lobby is dotted with glass orb lights hanging from the ceiling and cushy lounge chairs.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Secret churches, perilous conversions During the Palm Sunday service, the in-person audience at the nondenominational church was much smaller than on a typical Sunday, with only about a half-dozen members dotting the rows of blue chairs in front of the stage.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Speck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speck. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
