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
Integrated blue force tracking allows soldiers to pinpoint the exact positions of teammates, not just as dots on a map, but within buildings or terrain features. Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025 Why the tree-ring findings matter These findings help scientists connect the dots between ocean temperatures, atmospheric circulation and extreme weather, which could eventually improve forecasting for heat waves and droughts. Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 13 Oct. 2025 Fresh off bringing in Meghan Hooper White as EVP of Global Strategy and Co-Productions, Studio TF1 America is connecting the dots with a new project for Lifetime, Shopping Cart Killer starring Lela Rochon (Waiting to Exhale) and Jarod Joseph (Once Upon a Time). Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2025 Asymmetrical Ruched Midi Dress Polka dots are back in a big way, and this romantic midi dress proves why. Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2025 With his irreverent attitude, Girbaud reinterpreted them by putting contrasting stitches on a back pocket and adding a metal piercing embellishment in the three dots that make for the lowkey logo marking Létrange’s offerings. Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025 But even some of the handful of Republicans in favor of the discharge petition have also connected the dots. Chad De Guzman, Time, 7 Oct. 2025 Fans couldn’t help but connect dots between the post and the song. Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 7 Oct. 2025 The researchers then connected dots between scurfy mice and a disease in humans, called IPEX (immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked). Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
  • The light brown hair, worn in an all-purpose crop, bears flecks of gray.
    Nathan Heller, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Yes, these flecks are seeds that were once inside of a vanilla bean, confirms Britton.
    Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • This is when water from a sprinkler head sprays out onto the sidewalk or street, and that's considered wasted water.
    Yvette Fernandez, NPR, 28 Aug. 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
  • The pattern is a brownish batik produced by specks of tobacco.
    Zuzana Říhová, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
  • After a few days’ travel, some of the specks landed on a buoy floating in the North Atlantic off the coast of French Guyana.
    Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 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
  • Take the quiz here … SECONDHAND SECRETS – Bargain hunter spots potential medieval treasures at thrift shop for $30.
    , FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2025
  • On his daily jog, Donald spots Lee heading to his car, stopping to scratch his back on the flagstone façade of Donald’s mistress’s house, right on schedule.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Dark brown blotches of varying sizes dot their sides and back.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 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 24 Oct. 2025.

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