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
Relevance
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
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 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
-
Yes, these flecks are seeds that were once inside of a vanilla bean, confirms Britton.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
-
This uncanny coincidence — that the Earth’s radiation lines up with the energies of carbon dioxide’s mixed vibrational/rotational quantum state — is how this tiny trace of molecules, mere flecks in the air, completely dominates our climate.—
Joseph Howlett,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
These pastries are made from laminated dough, rolled thin, sprinkled with sugar and baked until crisp, golden and flaky.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The shareable treat features Galactic Brownie ice cream, fudge drizzle, M&Ms candies, and Halloween sprinkles atop a double fudge brownie crust.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
During the dot com bubble at the turn of the 21st Century, telecom equipment makers such as Nortel, Lucent, and Cisco lent money to startups and telecom companies to purchase their equipment.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
-
But put all the dots on a page and a pattern emerges of a socio-religious movement using government to fight back against and control a media perceived as secular, liberal and anti-Republican.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
It’s made with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, and it can even be paired with your favorite lip balm or gloss — without staining the applicator — for an extra boost of moisture.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
-
In his third season in Boulder, coach Deion Sanders continues to lament an issue that ruined his first season and stained his second.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
On our table are a plate of thin-sliced speck, ham, and cheese, a dish with curls of homemade butter that look like tiny beehives, two pots of homemade strawberry and apricot jam, and a jar of golden honey from the farm bees.—
R29 Team,
Refinery29,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Not until 52 hours later will the last speck of the sun's upper limb finally drop completely out of sight.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The belly is tan or gray with dark blotches.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, stir together Parmesan cheese, almonds, thyme, and pepper in a small bowl.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
27 Sep. 2025
-
To make things harder, the team peppered every work cell with random obstacles the robots had to avoid.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dapple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dapple. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share