dots 1 of 2

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
In the western part of the state, Radford, Montgomery, Roanoke City, Martinsville and Danville, Lynchburg and Lexington voted for Spanberger, blue dots in a sea of red. Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025 In the below interview, Lockhart dives further into differentiating the stories, connecting the dots with very specific references to both books set on Beechwood Island, and where the hope lies in her newest novel, now out in bookstores. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025 One of the prevailing theories posits that little red dots are feeding and growing supermassive black holes. Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025 By connecting the dots between seed and plate, Selman has helped spread the chicory gospel, turning what was once a niche taste into a celebrated part of the American winter pantry. Katie Parla, Saveur, 30 Oct. 2025 Jim Kossin, a former scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who has conducted multiple studies on hurricanes and climate change, says connecting the dots between Hurricane Melissa and global warming, broadly, is relatively straightforward. Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025 Nweeia eventually connected the dots between the Inuit’s observation and his own research, field tests, and scientific theories. Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025 Tap the More button (or three dots). Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025 Hence why the brand was able to successfully connect the dots between its association with Formula 1, a sport truly practiced by only two dozen racers, but also with running, practiced by hundreds of millions of people across the globe, through its connection with the New York Marathon. Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
  • Nice vanilla bean flecks and round, fatty flavor with only the subtlest hint of coconut.
    Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2025
  • And Abrams-Draine still managed to emerge with just a few flecks of soot after getting thrown in the fire last season, picking off Justin Herbert in a loss to the Chargers and establishing himself as a building block in a spot start.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In a viral TikTok video shared on Saturday under the username @personalityhire__, the poster’s cat, Paya, can be seen sitting quietly in the bathtub, opening his mouth to drink as his owner sprays him with the shower head right in the face.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Fittingly, these finals get a full seven-game layout, and the team to earn four wins lifts the trophy (then sprays the trophy with sparkling wine).
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • The show also sprinkles in factoids about Daniel’s military past, his upbringing in Italy and his fractured family dynamic.
    Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • These black specks show up each autumn, congregating on my screens and windowsill, and complicating my desire to open the window on a pleasant day.
    Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The vacuum is dedicated to getting even the tiniest specks of dirt, circling back two or three times until the area is spotless.
    Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • But in many smaller ways, Harris peppers her narrative with places where the Biden White House undercut her or failed to support her.
    Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Directed by genre-hopping Ben Wheatley and written by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad from a story hatched by Kolstad and Odenkirk, the subversive Western is a take-no-prisoners gore fest that peppers all the visceral carnage with an equal sprinkling of dry wit.
    Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As a train barrels toward her near the final moments of the video, Perry spots a daisy on the tracks — seemingly a nod to her daughter — and dodges disaster.
    Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Rene Lima, a grower in Chicago who is set to inaugurate a cannabis education platform for Spanish-speaking seniors, spots a clear and promising pathway for DEI.
    Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Blood still regularly stains the floors of the Coliseum’s rings.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dots. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

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