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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The reward for doing business without a speck of conscience is potentially billions.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
10 May 2026
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All morning extra-sized barges loaded up passengers from the Giardini, scooted around the Arsenale, past the famous glass-blowing island of Murano, and then approached the Island of San Giacomo—a tiny speck on a map, but quite formidable in person.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Powerful new lasers and x-rays are enabling geologists like Korolev, a researcher at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City, to probe increasingly small flecks of minerals in deep diamonds.—
James Dinneen,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
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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
Noun
-
Everyone is at least a little bit flawed.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
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Except for the Kentucky Derby winner going for the Triple Crown, the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes has a little bit of everything.—
Stephen Whyno,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Noun
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What this revealed was that atomic nuclei heavier than the atomic nucleus of iron lost energy much more slowly than lighter particles.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
13 May 2026
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This setup would let researchers detect minute differences in the isotopes’ energy levels by examining nuances in the magnetic field created by each particle’s spinning nucleus, called the nuclear magnetic moment.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Sunset picnics stretch for hours, multigenerational families claiming the same patch of sand summer after summer.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 May 2026
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The ants can also be pests by creating bare patches around their nests.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
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After barbecuing the breast over peat, the legs are braised and served alongside the grain itself.—
Carinne Geil Botta,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
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Those qualities – the handheld instability, the textural grain – were not flaws to be corrected but signatures to be honored.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Noun
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While the Spurs had a great supporting cast around Duncan, Kobe was left with scraps after Shaq was dealt to Miami.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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Louisiana map scraps snaking district Legislation in Louisiana seeks to address the Supreme Court ruling by scrapping a district that snakes over 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest from the capital, Baton Rouge, to Shreveport, creating a voting bloc with a majority of Black residents.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Music, both as one character’s defining trait and as a story-telling device — snippets of pop tunes across decades swiftly drive time shifts in the play’s first two acts — is a major aspect.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
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The scientists also found that accuracy increased when the players communicated with snippets of code rather than natural language.—
Peter Hall,
Scientific American,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flyspeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flyspeck. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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