as in specks
a very small piece
there's not a mote of dirt in that woman's house
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Recent Examples of motes
Tiny bugs float in the sun like dust motes, and there are graceful flies large enough to require a runway landing.
—
John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
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
John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motes
Noun
-
From the summit of Monte Gambarogno, the towns hugging the shore of Lake Maggiore appear as tiny specks, dwarfed by the snowcapped southern Alps to the north.—
Lisa Kadane,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 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
-
People can get sick after breathing in contaminated particles that get stirred into the air, especially while cleaning or spending time in places where rodents have been active, like sheds, garages, barns, cabins and storage areas.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
-
Plus, these particles are essential components of modern electronics, powering transistors and high-definition displays in smartphones and computers.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Some bathrooms have been updated with a walk-in shower, while others (including my room) have a shower-tub combo in starlight marble, which has flecks of shiny stone that seem to sparkle, but are slightly uncomfortable to climb into and out of.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Every now and then, the hunter’s headphones would ping, registering a metallic hit below ground; though the vast majority of those signals were inconsequential, identifying only bits of scrap iron or old lead bullets.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
8 May 2026
-
Advertisement Still, these tender feelings can’t gloss over the gory bits of starting a band.—
Katie Gavin,
Time,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Built in 1885, the route once played a key role in transporting coffee and grains from the Curitiba highlands to the coast.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
11 May 2026
-
Like all tasting menus, the Journey has its ritual flourishes, some of them twee (such as the servers presenting a basket of farm eggs and an arrangement of grains just before the courses featuring those ingredients) and others quite charming.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Other things flying up include flexible repair patches for sealing the space station’s hull, a replacement ultrasonic inspection tool, spare units for the station’s vibration monitoring system and parts to improve water processing and oxygen generation.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
-
The fun really starts with the collaborators’ premium denim lineup, inclusive of the Trucker Jacket, all button-flap pockets and varied patches (peep that American flag over the chest, for unleashing your inner patriot), as well as the Lucky Legend Low Rise Festival Short.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Since then, scientists have devised ways of redesigning these molecules to better infiltrate muscle cells, leading to vastly higher dystrophin levels.—
Jason Mast,
STAT,
7 May 2026
-
Future systems are expected to handle even larger and more complex molecules with greater accuracy.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
It had been crowded, competitive, fighting his brothers and sisters to nestle at the center, for the last scraps of flesh, for the fallen fruit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
-
Gather up dough scraps, reroll, and punch out more biscuits if needed.—
Claire Saffitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motes. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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