as in flecks
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part
there was just a dot on the tablecloth where the food had spattered
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
2
as in sprinkles
to mark with small spots especially unevenly
the practice of some chefs of positioning a small portion of food in the center and dotting the rest of the plate with sauce
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 dots
Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
In Gemini, Mercury wants to ask questions, compare perspectives, gather information and connect dots.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
The transition can begin as early as a woman’s 30s, but the signs are so varied and so easily mistaken for other things that many people spend years wondering what’s wrong before connecting the dots.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
The team did a nice job getting to the inside of the middle of the ice, with nearly all of those looks coming from between the faceoff dots.
—Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Project managers, for example, should be spending significant time in meetings ensuring that the dots are connected.
—Shani Harmon, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Several files included military videos from the last several years that showed small ambiguous dots moving above the landscapes of Iraq, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
—Seung Min Kim, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
The longer answer is that there are pages and pages of old FBI records, unresolved cases, eyewitness interviews, and the usual grainy, black-and-white images that show dots but nothing remotely conclusive about aliens, alien spaceships, or any alien technology.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Disney connects the dots between the investigation into The View and Jimmy Kimmel and the broadcast license move, which is ostensibly tied to Disney’s DEI practices.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
Kasia Dietz, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2026
Japanese linens top the bed, and designer furniture dots the living space.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2026
Barnett dots up Knight for a 57-yard catch-and-run.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 28 Oct. 2025
Rather than the stiff alien chitchat that dots his own screenplays, the characters in The Favourite trade the witty, venomous bon mots of The Great creator Tony McNamara.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The $3,211 per month maintenance fees cover a part-time doorman and a fitness studio, while the location provides easy access to Madison Square Park plus all the shopping and dining that dots the area.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
Numerous black dots, later identified as a swarm of bees, were spotted on the White House near the press corps’ Pebble Beach media area on the North Lawn.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
In Gemini, Mercury wants to ask questions, compare perspectives, gather information and connect dots.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
The transition can begin as early as a woman’s 30s, but the signs are so varied and so easily mistaken for other things that many people spend years wondering what’s wrong before connecting the dots.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
The team did a nice job getting to the inside of the middle of the ice, with nearly all of those looks coming from between the faceoff dots.
—Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Project managers, for example, should be spending significant time in meetings ensuring that the dots are connected.
—Shani Harmon, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Several files included military videos from the last several years that showed small ambiguous dots moving above the landscapes of Iraq, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
—Seung Min Kim, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
The longer answer is that there are pages and pages of old FBI records, unresolved cases, eyewitness interviews, and the usual grainy, black-and-white images that show dots but nothing remotely conclusive about aliens, alien spaceships, or any alien technology.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Disney connects the dots between the investigation into The View and Jimmy Kimmel and the broadcast license move, which is ostensibly tied to Disney’s DEI practices.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026
Verb
Prepare to be dazzled from Warsaw’s highest viewing terrace atop Varso Tower, which proudly dots the skyline, before eating your way through the innovative food halls that define the coolest neighborhoods.
—Kasia Dietz, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2026
Japanese linens top the bed, and designer furniture dots the living space.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2026
Barnett dots up Knight for a 57-yard catch-and-run.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 28 Oct. 2025
Rather than the stiff alien chitchat that dots his own screenplays, the characters in The Favourite trade the witty, venomous bon mots of The Great creator Tony McNamara.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The $3,211 per month maintenance fees cover a part-time doorman and a fitness studio, while the location provides easy access to Madison Square Park plus all the shopping and dining that dots the area.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dots
Noun
-
The person who seems least surprised by it all is Matsuzawa, perhaps the league’s only 27-year-old rookie with flecks of gray in his hair.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The violent collision sprays a jet of electrons, positrons, and other particles down into a cloud at a random angle.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
6 May 2026
-
When it is finished, maybe a year from now, Bayfront Park will be the city’s front yard, a gathering place to celebrate culture and be dazzled by technology -- laser beams that shoot into the evening sky and a fountain that sprays 60 feet high.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Pastry chef Sahar Shomali, Kouzeh’s owner, sprinkles her version with black and white sesame seeds, cumin and fresh dill.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
-
Use a watering can or hose that sprinkles the water to evenly distribute it among the seeds.—
Heather Bien,
The Spruce,
8 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
-
Instead, each child interacts only with a sophisticated artificial intelligence, which peppers them with questions about everything from mathematics to philosophy.—
Niral Shah,
The Conversation,
15 Dec. 2025
-
Instead, the original body features a patina that peppers its exterior and is a point of celebration, preserved and maintained for true uniqueness.—
Peter Nelson,
Robb Report,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
What begins as a small con deepens when the painter’s shrewd agent (Gilles Lellouche) spots an opportunity, encouraging Suzanne to continue the deception as a way to revive his client’s creativity — and bankroll them both.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
-
His company runs a network of after school learning centers where an adaptive AI tutoring system spots those cracks and customizes lessons in real time based on how each student responds.—
TIME Contributors,
Time,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Soon, red blotches were sprouting on his skin.—
Mary Beth Sheridan,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
-
These grow to form blotches that have lighter and darker zones appearing as irregular concentric rings that grow throughout the season until the entire leaf turns black and dies.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
What Sacks doesn’t get is that by financing and diplomatically supporting Israel, our country makes the crimes of the Israeli government possible, which stains America’s reputation in the world and drains our Treasury.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Every failure of the state now stains the turban as well as the uniform.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dots. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
