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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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At the rear of the room, a picture window looks out onto the Irish Sea, with Northern Ireland a small speck in the distance.—
Timothy Latterner,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Feb. 2026
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To get every speck and streamline your work, always start high and finish low, says Sabrina Fierman of New York's Little Elves, a fine interior cleaning company.—
Nashia Baker,
Martha Stewart,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That, plus distinct green (herbs) and black (pepper) flecks, made this contender feel higher-end, inspiring us to declare Trader Joe’s the best ranch dressing overall.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 Feb. 2026
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As Dracula, Jones is giddy and joyous with flecks of depravity bursting through as the plot expands to include his ethereal bond with Harker’s fiancée, Mina Murray (also Bleu).—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That legitimizes it a little bit.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
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Larger objects in an avalanche tend to stay near the snow’s surface, while smaller bits of debris get buried.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
From moldy squash to particles in ice, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City-area restaurants last week.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
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Use the range hood during cooking to contain grease particles that rise in the air and prevent them from settling on kitchen surfaces.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Lastly, entrance is now €18/$20—pricey for a park, perhaps, though this is definitely not your typical picnic patch.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
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Cancer Alley is one of many patches of America — mostly minority and poor — that suffer higher levels of air pollution from fossil fuel facilities that emit tiny particles connected to higher death rates.—
Dorany Pineda,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Filled with grains or noodles, veggies, and protein, easy bowl meals are healthy and filling, which is a winning weeknight combo.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Don’t overlook whole grains like quinoa, sorghum, and farro.—
Riley Wofford,
Martha Stewart,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For the second version, Fan went dumpster diving and found scraps at furniture stores, motors on eBay and bookends from the dollar store that were the perfect height.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
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Keep it simple and just use lemon scraps, or create your own scent by adding in rosemary, cloves, or other fragrant ingredients.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The season 5 snippet shows Green arriving to the class late without having actually read the book, which leads her to ask Phoebe to fill her in on its complicated plot.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
-
On that phone call with Kaufman, Weir grabbed a guitar and started singing snippets of campfire songs from his past, eagerly wanting to add new verses to some of them.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flyspeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flyspeck. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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