as in speck
a very small piece
surreptitiously removed a flyspeck of dirt from the china
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Recent Examples of flyspeck
That’s a flyspeck in a galaxy that measures 100,000 light years across and a universe that is a staggering 94 billion light years.
—
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 21 Dec. 2022
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2022
Travelers jumping into the West Texas badlands from Mexico through Candelaria, a flyspeck village 50 miles up two-lane blacktop northwest of Presidio, might be deceived by the prevailing verdant quiet.
—Dudley Althaus, San Antonio Express-News, 26 June 2021
To those who grew up with Duncan in the U.S. Virgin Islands, their friend’s voyage from a picturesque flyspeck in the middle of the ocean to the basketball Hall of Fame was equal parts preordained and inconceivable.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 May 2021
But with a thousand islands scattered along their country’s jade-green Adriatic coast, from deserted flyspecks to hipster outposts, there’s no shortage of places to lick one’s wounds—or bask in silver-medal glory.
—Anja Mutić, WSJ, 19 July 2018
That is why presidential candidates hire squads of lawyers to flyspeck donations during a campaign.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 May 2018
Compared to this, Comcast is a flyspeck, and Charter hasn’t even gotten started.
—David Dayen, The New Republic, 30 Apr. 2018
Amid these forces, Fed rate hikes are a relative flyspeck, says Doug Duncan, chief economist of Fannie Mae.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 14 June 2017
Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 21 Dec. 2022
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2022
Travelers jumping into the West Texas badlands from Mexico through Candelaria, a flyspeck village 50 miles up two-lane blacktop northwest of Presidio, might be deceived by the prevailing verdant quiet.
—Dudley Althaus, San Antonio Express-News, 26 June 2021
To those who grew up with Duncan in the U.S. Virgin Islands, their friend’s voyage from a picturesque flyspeck in the middle of the ocean to the basketball Hall of Fame was equal parts preordained and inconceivable.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 14 May 2021
But with a thousand islands scattered along their country’s jade-green Adriatic coast, from deserted flyspecks to hipster outposts, there’s no shortage of places to lick one’s wounds—or bask in silver-medal glory.
—Anja Mutić, WSJ, 19 July 2018
That is why presidential candidates hire squads of lawyers to flyspeck donations during a campaign.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 May 2018
Compared to this, Comcast is a flyspeck, and Charter hasn’t even gotten started.
—David Dayen, The New Republic, 30 Apr. 2018
Amid these forces, Fed rate hikes are a relative flyspeck, says Doug Duncan, chief economist of Fannie Mae.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 14 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flyspeck
Noun
-
Like specks of dirt falling victim to a vacuum, balls were simply drawn into his glove.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
19 June 2025
-
This natural phenomenon, in which light-emitting sea creatures like algae cause the water to glitter with specks of blue and white light, is best viewed on a dark, moonless night.—
Jessie Beck,
AFAR Media,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
The gloss comes in six sheer shades, ranging from clear to a purple hue, and four of them include shimmery flecks that’ll catch the light to make your lips look even juicier.—
Angela Trakoshis,
Allure,
4 June 2025
-
Miniature crystals dot the brown enamel to look like flecks of salt.—
Jamie Allison Sanders,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
Of course, the piano does seem to be at least a little bit haunted by an ’80s pop star named Vision.—
Caroline Carlson
June 30,
Literary Hub,
30 June 2025
-
Joya had been allowed to pull the flouncy bit off her shoulders, like the singers in ABBA, but since my mother told me to keep covered, the top surrounded me sadly like a funereal wreath.—
Jhumpa Lahiri,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
Scrub your way across the surface to dislodge any final particles and help remove germs and bacteria, then rinse the grill grates well with fresh water.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 June 2025
-
Use a rake and shovel to clear leaves, sticks, and wood chips from your yard, and a leaf blower for any fine particles.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
My thick Florida grass is plagued by fuzzy patches where my robomower cut imperfectly.—
Anthony Karcz,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
-
The gentle water-bath heating method helps distribute warmth evenly across the bottle, avoiding hot spots or cold patches.—
Ascend Agency,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Throughout the middle passage, it has been said that our ancestors wove familiar items such as beads, shells, or even seeds and grains from home into their braids, to keep with them along their journeys.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 June 2025
-
Without using wheat, rye, barley, couscous, bulgur, and other crossbreeds of those grains, gluten-free pasta can be made from brown rice, white rice, corn, legumes, quinoa, edamame, lentils, or beans.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
But compared to Paul’s clash with Mike Perry and Nate Diaz, this scrap with Chavez Jr. doesn’t seem to be moving the needle as much.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
-
Use food scraps to make broth, then compost the leftovers to make fertilizer.—
Andrea Beck,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
The clearest takeaway from those snippets is that the Galaxy S25 Edge will play a role in the Fold 7’s design.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
-
Cardi has teased snippets of the single on social media in recent months, and the positive reception has finally led to a full release.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flyspeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flyspeck. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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