as in flecks
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 sprinkles
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 dapples
Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
Verb
Calling on a Rolodex of guest stars (Caroline Polachek, Lorde, Daniel Caesar), Hynes dapples his scenes in golden lo-fi.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dapples
Noun
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The remaining scenes draw on familiar teenage horror tropes, with flecks of fresh insight.—
Natalia Winkelman,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
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Even just sitting in a humid cabinet can lead to flecks of rust on a cast-iron pan.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Much like Knives Out, the movie takes a much more lighthearted approach and sprinkles humor throughout.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
15 Dec. 2025
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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
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With the help of NASA's $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers first discovered the mysterious specks of light known as little red dots at the end of 2022.—
Charles Q. Choi,
Space.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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Microcalcifications appear as white specks and may indicate cancer in some cases.—
Lindsey Leake,
NBC news,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Barnett dots up Knight for a 57-yard catch-and-run.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
28 Oct. 2025
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Rather than the stiff alien chitchat that dots his own screenplays, the characters in The Favourite trade the witty, venomous bon mots of The Great creator Tony McNamara.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These blotches are fairly plant friendly and produce what is known as algal leaf spot.—
Brian Bell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Jan. 2026
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Photos show the Maratus australis spider, which has an intricate pattern of blue and brown blotches edged with bright teal and red-orange stripes.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This mixture attacks stains a bit stronger than the water solution.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
11 Jan. 2026
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Season with salt and lots of pepper and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking often, until the turmeric stains the mixture a wonderful golden color and the liquid starts to steam, about 3 minutes.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Even Apple itself understands this, which is why the iPhone maker offers security patches to those who want to stay on iOS 18 — up until a point.—
Kate O'Flaherty,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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But because of the below-freezing temperatures, there may still be patches of ice lurking.—
Morayo Ogunbayo,
AJC.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Enterprising group member Freddy (Delaney Quinn) spots the paperback Josh was reading in the trash bin, spattered in blood.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
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Their 4-3 win on Tuesday over the New York Rangers, a team that essentially waved the white flag last week, kept the Kings in a six-team mix for what could be three Western Conference spots up for grabs.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dapples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dapples. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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