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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dots
Seung Min Kim, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
The longer answer is that there are pages and pages of old FBI records, unresolved cases, eyewitness interviews, and the usual grainy, black-and-white images that show dots but nothing remotely conclusive about aliens, alien spaceships, or any alien technology.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Over half a century ago, NASA's Apollo 17 crew reported seeing multiple unidentified objects in space, including three mysterious dots and sparks that resembled fireworks, according to new files released by the Pentagon.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 8 May 2026
Disney connects the dots between the investigation into The View and Jimmy Kimmel and the broadcast license move, which is ostensibly tied to Disney’s DEI practices.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
So there’s bams, dots, dragons.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
My hidden talent is connecting dots across worlds that usually don’t talk to each other — economics, sociology, agriculture and business.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
But these dots were there for months, even years, ready to be connected.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
Meanwhile, Carolina Herrera previously went oversized with dots on crochet gowns for her Spring/Summer 2025 collection, and Jacquemus served up the print in various retro fit-and-flare silhouettes for Spring 2025.
—Casey Delbasso, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2026
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
Noun
Several files included military videos from the last several years that showed small ambiguous dots moving above the landscapes of Iraq, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
—Seung Min Kim, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
The longer answer is that there are pages and pages of old FBI records, unresolved cases, eyewitness interviews, and the usual grainy, black-and-white images that show dots but nothing remotely conclusive about aliens, alien spaceships, or any alien technology.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Over half a century ago, NASA's Apollo 17 crew reported seeing multiple unidentified objects in space, including three mysterious dots and sparks that resembled fireworks, according to new files released by the Pentagon.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 8 May 2026
Disney connects the dots between the investigation into The View and Jimmy Kimmel and the broadcast license move, which is ostensibly tied to Disney’s DEI practices.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
So there’s bams, dots, dragons.
—Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
My hidden talent is connecting dots across worlds that usually don’t talk to each other — economics, sociology, agriculture and business.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
But these dots were there for months, even years, ready to be connected.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
Meanwhile, Carolina Herrera previously went oversized with dots on crochet gowns for her Spring/Summer 2025 collection, and Jacquemus served up the print in various retro fit-and-flare silhouettes for Spring 2025.
—Casey Delbasso, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Japanese linens top the bed, and designer furniture dots the living space.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2026
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
-
Our recipe studs egg filling with flecks of green onions, bacon, and a generous helping of Swiss cheese.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
5 May 2026
-
Some bathrooms have been updated with a walk-in shower, while others (including my room) have a shower-tub combo in starlight marble, which has flecks of shiny stone that seem to sparkle, but are slightly uncomfortable to climb into and out of.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The violent collision sprays a jet of electrons, positrons, and other particles down into a cloud at a random angle.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
6 May 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Use a watering can or hose that sprinkles the water to evenly distribute it among the seeds.—
Heather Bien,
The Spruce,
8 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
From the summit of Monte Gambarogno, the towns hugging the shore of Lake Maggiore appear as tiny specks, dwarfed by the snowcapped southern Alps to the north.—
Lisa Kadane,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2026
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Silvery or mottled patches on leaves, brown or distorted petal edges, dark specks (feces) or flower buds that fail to open are signs of thrips.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 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
-
What begins as a small con deepens when the painter’s shrewd agent (Gilles Lellouche) spots an opportunity, encouraging Suzanne to continue the deception as a way to revive his client’s creativity — and bankroll them both.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
-
His company runs a network of after school learning centers where an adaptive AI tutoring system spots those cracks and customizes lessons in real time based on how each student responds.—
TIME Contributors,
Time,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These grow to form blotches that have lighter and darker zones appearing as irregular concentric rings that grow throughout the season until the entire leaf turns black and dies.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
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
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
Cite this Entry
“Dots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dots. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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