as in fleck
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part
the clouds threw dapples of shadow over the eerily quiet street
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to sprinkle
to mark with small spots especially unevenly
sunlight dappled the canopy of vines over our heads
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dapple
Dallas News, 9 May 2022
Piglet is a Chihuahua-dachshund mix, with a genetic condition called double dapple that causes eyesight and hearing difficulties.
—Susan Dunne, courant.com, 29 Jan. 2022
Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2025
The vibe is classic supper club: jazz standards sweeping from the speakers, brimming bread baskets filling the tables, and vintage butter warmers with glowing votive candles dappling the room in soft flickers.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dapple
Noun
While out on walks in Dallas’ Uptown, people often stop Alison Roche to ask about her brown, dapple, floppy-eared dachshund.
—Dallas News, 9 May 2022
Piglet is a Chihuahua-dachshund mix, with a genetic condition called double dapple that causes eyesight and hearing difficulties.
—Susan Dunne, courant.com, 29 Jan. 2022
Verb
In my mind, that always meant at least a plane ride's worth of travel—me in safari gear, sunlight dappling through the canopy, and swinging vines overhead.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2025
The vibe is classic supper club: jazz standards sweeping from the speakers, brimming bread baskets filling the tables, and vintage butter warmers with glowing votive candles dappling the room in soft flickers.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dapple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dapple
Noun
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The light brown hair, worn in an all-purpose crop, bears flecks of gray.—
Nathan Heller,
Vogue,
14 Oct. 2025
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Yes, these flecks are seeds that were once inside of a vanilla bean, confirms Britton.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Today these works are well defined by Mondrian’s legacy, with his rigid paintings of black-and-white grids, sprinkled with rectangular forms in red, yellow, and blue.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
15 Oct. 2025
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Not only does this help the mushrooms continue to sprinkle their spores along the forest floor, aiding the development of new mycelial networks, but this also avoids bruising and allows the delicate fungi to breathe, keeping them fresh and firm on the journey home.—
Callie Sumlin,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Gabe Landeskog beat Casey Mittelstadt cleanly in the right faceoff dot and Josh Manson scored on a slapper from the blue line.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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The latter has been such a consistent issue under Napier that UF got a kindergartenesque chart where players stand on one of 11 dots before trotting onto the field.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After washing new jeans, use a damp cloth to remove any lingering dyes that can stain the plastic parts and lid of your washing machine.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
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Police added that no evidence of postmortem fractures were found on the remains, adding that forensic investigators found soil adherence and staining that suggest the remains may have been in the ground for over five decades.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The room is shadowy but lively, with the sense that there are things going on in every speck of the frame.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
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Every splash of rain, speck of dust, or pinprick of light could mar the negative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ravn’s prose is striking too, richly marbled with quotation and detail pulled from primary source letters and court documents.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
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While Edmonton Oilers fans focus on the famous veteran wingers who were lost to free agency, the organization is focused on a new-look group that marbles youth, experience and the unknown in hopes of adding speed and goals.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Dark brown blotches of varying sizes dot their sides and back.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
7 Oct. 2025
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This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Oilers effectively peppered the Canucks netminder, landing 37 shots on goal, to just 15 for Vancouver.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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Kuminga scored 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting, overwhelming defenders at the rim with his athleticism, and peppering in a slick catch-and-shoot jumper from the short corner for three points.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dapple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dapple. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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