dots 1 of 2

Definition of dotsnext
plural of dot
as in flecks
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part there was just a dot on the tablecloth where the food had spattered

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dots

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of dot
1
as in sprays
to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on a hillside dotted with wildflowers

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2
as in sprinkles
to mark with small spots especially unevenly the practice of some chefs of positioning a small portion of food in the center and dotting the rest of the plate with sauce

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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 dots
Noun
But some classmates at Detroit’s Waldorf School connected the dots. Brian McCollum, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 Korey Francis can connect the dots on important moments in his faith. Ed Specht, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026 The two charts show color measurements taken on the R95H in Filmmaker mode, with an HDR10 signal shown as dots. Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026 And for all the effort to read between the lines, to connect the dots between moves and motivations, the truth is the Valkyries have given little away about what comes next. Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026 Before ChatGPT, about one in three successfully figured it out, independently connecting pretty potent dots for scientific thinking rather than passively absorbing another fact. ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026 The specifics of the machine Tesla makes for him are vague, though the surprise discovery of dozens of Angier's top hats in the Colorado woods quickly connects the dots. Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026 And, in order to keep the gas flowing and the data center dots connected, more and more pipe must plow into the ground. Jordan Blum, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026 The notation was curiously quaint, dots and curly tails swimming along like so many tadpoles. Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
Barnett dots up Knight for a 57-yard catch-and-run. Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 28 Oct. 2025 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 The $3,211 per month maintenance fees cover a part-time doorman and a fitness studio, while the location provides easy access to Madison Square Park plus all the shopping and dining that dots the area. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dots
Noun
  • Its design, crafted by Russell Sage Studio, is meant to be an on-the-nose reflection of the distillery's famed product, with bronzy walls the color of its single malt, and a ceiling painted to look like barley, reflecting the morning dew with flecks of gold throughout.
    Alessandra Amodio, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Berber carpet Berber is a type of loop pile carpet with flecks of color.
    Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • When it is finished, maybe a year from now, Bayfront Park will be the city’s front yard, a gathering place to celebrate culture and be dazzled by technology -- laser beams that shoot into the evening sky and a fountain that sprays 60 feet high.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Vicks Sinex Severe, for example, sprays an ultrafine mist that is less likely to irritate your nostrils with its residue.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But for every shirt bearing a slogan, there were ten cheeks covered in (biodegradable) glitter like the kind that Diggins sprinkles on her face before every race.
    Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Groff sprinkles this punchy, athletic syntax over a slew of intricate settings.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage, and seams.
    Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage and seams.
    Jenna Prestininzi, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Instead, each child interacts only with a sophisticated artificial intelligence, which peppers them with questions about everything from mathematics to philosophy.
    Niral Shah, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
  • Instead, the original body features a patina that peppers its exterior and is a point of celebration, preserved and maintained for true uniqueness.
    Peter Nelson, Robb Report, 3 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Your perceptive nature spots what others miss, so trust instinct and document the change.
    Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2026
  • Outside, a kid spots the bus and shouts.
    Emmanuel Igunza, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • This was a black one with blotches faintly outlined in pale yellow, a beautiful but deadly looking animal.
    Dr. C. E. Kuschel, Outdoor Life, 9 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • What Sacks doesn’t get is that by financing and diplomatically supporting Israel, our country makes the crimes of the Israeli government possible, which stains America’s reputation in the world and drains our Treasury.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Every failure of the state now stains the turban as well as the uniform.
    Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Dots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dots. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.

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