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
-
As in Kourliandski’s quartet, specks and splatters of sound are interspersed with silences.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The titular town is a serene speck of a place in the west of Japan, near a mountain also called Nagi, a beautiful but raggedy landscape that patchworks swathes of virgin forest, farmed fields and twinkling solar panels.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Ischemic strokes occur when a blood clot or other particles – such as plaque, which are fatty deposits – block blood supply to the brain, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
-
One 2022 study found broken nonstick coatings may release millions of microplastic and nanoplastic particles.—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Sunset picnics stretch for hours, multigenerational families claiming the same patch of sand summer after summer.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 May 2026
-
The ants can also be pests by creating bare patches around their nests.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Just behind the cineplex and beyond the route of the busway, are 34 acres once occupied by a scrap metal yard acquired by the city in a foreclosure in 2021.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
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The wastepaper baskets were filled with real scraps of newspaper.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Alphonse Pierre’s Off the Dome column covers songs, mixtapes, albums, scenes, snippets, movies, Meek Mill tweets, fashion trends—and anything else that catches his attention.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
14 May 2026
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Fox News released snippets of Hannity's interview before the full interview from Beijing airs on Thursday evening.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flyspeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flyspeck. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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