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
-
Flash frames, scratches and specks of dust pop up randomly on the screen.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
This looks like tiny black or reddish-brown specks that resemble coffee grounds.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Cool the griddle completely and wipe up any rust particles or debris with paper towels.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
18 June 2026
-
With a 9-liter filter basket and wide intake area, it’s designed to capture everything from fine particles to large leaves, requiring less emptying and freeing up more pool time.—
V BRAND STORIES,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Light streams through the frosted glass, catching flecks of dust.—
Ashley Andreou,
STAT,
22 June 2026
-
But flecks of green were visible throughout the stadium as Algeria fans made their presence known as well.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
The pieces are machine washable — a practical necessity for unavoidable spills and stains in the kitchen — and the cloth bits are made from 100 percent cotton.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
-
Irregular, edges catch oil differently, crisping into jagged, craggly bits while softer interior pockets hold onto dressing, broth, or sauce—the kind of varied texture that makes each bite its own.—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Take the grains of truth in the rumors and gossip.—
Peter D. Banko,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Here, some of our favorite projects that show how a shipping container can serve as the small grains for a sustainable, eco-friendly dream home—from multi-resident container buildings to a DIY tiny house in the middle of the mountains.—
Caitlin Gunther,
Architectural Digest,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Boy and Girl Scout troops can also work with Sticky Fingers to earn cooking and baking patches.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
-
People taking diuretics, beta-blockers or any transdermal medication patches should check with a doctor first since heat significantly increases drug absorption through the skin.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 June 2026
Noun
-
In this concept, rather than boiling the liquid, it is run through a molecular sieve that catches specific molecules based on their size.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
-
In addition, the scientists noted their new device could mimic the activity of critical molecules known as neuromodulators.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield is pushing a new motion to keep residents’ food scraps local, expanding composting facilities instead of trucking banana peels to Bakersfield and Lancaster.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2026
-
Don't burn food scraps or trash in your fire ring or grill.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motes. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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