as in specks
a very small piece
there's not a mote of dirt in that woman's house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 motes
Sunbeams through the windows illuminate floating dust motes—and, imperceptibly, microdroplets of mucus carrying the measles virus, expelled from an infected but asymptomatic child who is hopping and laughing among the others.
—
Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
Easily swept up by wind and carried long distances by water, these tiny motes are also exceedingly difficult to detect and almost impossible to remove from the environment.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s a Gambit-adjacent one that has players depositing motes while killing other teams.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The sensors’ small size allows seamless integration into almost any environment, while the wireless, modular design lets motes be added or removed as needed depending on the application.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2025
Powering and recording signals from multiple motes will require new techniques and better signal processing.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2016
Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
Easily swept up by wind and carried long distances by water, these tiny motes are also exceedingly difficult to detect and almost impossible to remove from the environment.
—K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s a Gambit-adjacent one that has players depositing motes while killing other teams.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The sensors’ small size allows seamless integration into almost any environment, while the wireless, modular design lets motes be added or removed as needed depending on the application.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2025
Powering and recording signals from multiple motes will require new techniques and better signal processing.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Oct. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motes
Noun
-
Featuring bolder, thicker spots at the top and more refined, micro specks down the skirt, this mini dress makes all-day, fashionable wear easier than ever.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Silvery or mottled patches on leaves, brown or distorted petal edges, dark specks (feces) or flower buds that fail to open are signs of thrips.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And some interactions — most notably, particles interacting through the weak force — exhibit asymmetries when particles are replaced with antiparticles, when reflected in a mirror, or when their clocks are run backward instead of forward.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Apr. 2026
-
At subatomic scales, particles behave very differently from those in the real world, and scientists often have to develop new theories to explain this behavior.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Its design, crafted by Russell Sage Studio, is meant to be an on-the-nose reflection of the distillery's famed product, with bronzy walls the color of its single malt, and a ceiling painted to look like barley, reflecting the morning dew with flecks of gold throughout.—
Alessandra Amodio,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Berber carpet Berber is a type of loop pile carpet with flecks of color.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Quaise is developing a drilling system that uses millimeter wave energy to melt and vaporize rock at extreme depths where conventional drill bits struggle with heat and pressure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Watching babies get blown to bits should do something to you.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The grains are made of corundum, the same mineral that forms ruby and sapphire on Earth.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Many plant proteins are not, which is why combining foods like beans and grains is often recommended.—
Morgan Pearson,
Verywell Health,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The combination has allowed dense patches of fog to form inland, particularly in areas farther from the coast.—
Lissette Gonzalez,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Tablets like Dramamine take up almost no space in your bag, but there are plenty of alternatives, too, like ginger chews or motion sickness patches.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These are molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms, each of which are bonded to three neighboring atoms.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The researchers exposed a piece of the Murchison meteorite, which contains organic molecules, to TMAH.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
How To Use Banana Peels In Your Garden Since banana peels do contain healthy nutrients your garden needs, learning how to use them in your garden can keep the food scraps out of landfills and give plants a boost.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Orange County Public Health Services did not find just one mouse sniffing around for scraps.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motes. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
