1
as in spraying
to cover by or as if by scattering something over or on
a hillside dotted with wildflowers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in sprinkling
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
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 dotting
Rescuers were battling to reach remote mountainous areas cut off from mobile networks along the Pakistani border, where mudbrick homes dotting the slopes collapsed in the quake.
—
Mohammad Yunus Yawar, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2025
From the tee, the water looks untouched, stretching out calm and serene, with a few homes dotting the far shore.
—Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
And three, plump, dark, juicy blackberries dotting vines all across the South just waiting to be turned into a fresh-out-of-the-oven cobbler.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2025
Mohammad Yunus Yawar, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2025
From the tee, the water looks untouched, stretching out calm and serene, with a few homes dotting the far shore.
—Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
And three, plump, dark, juicy blackberries dotting vines all across the South just waiting to be turned into a fresh-out-of-the-oven cobbler.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dotting
Verb
-
Breaking Bad actor Raymond Cruz was arrested Monday on suspicion of misdemeanor battery after allegedly spraying someone with a hose while washing his car in front of his home in Los Angeles.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Rather than spraying the formula directly onto her skin, our tester applied it to a cotton round instead.—
Esme Benjamin,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Under the post that included romantic and silly shots of Neeson sprinkling some popcorn over her head, Joely left a string of red heart emojis in the comments section.—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Then, to complete the deep clean, Lane suggests, sprinkling baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher and running a second hot cycle with no detergent.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Adofo-Mensah’s role evolved over the years, from peppering Mangini about the New England Patriots’ old scouting reports to coding databases that would lead to proprietary pre-draft metrics.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Congressional lawmakers began peppering the White House with questions.—
Stephanie Armour,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Enter this darling Dutch oven—it’s constructed with long-lasting cast-iron and finished with a triple-layer enamel coating that prevents chipping, fading, cracking, and staining with use.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
3 Sep. 2025
-
After victims were taken inside the hospital, photos taken by an employee of the Gaza Ministry of Health show blood staining multiple floors of the stairwell.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dotting. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share