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
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 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
Sooty blotch looks like a brown or black blotch on the fruit; sooty blotch, unlike flyspeck, will wipe off the fruit.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 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
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Instead of a leafy house salad, diners get chunky shareable beets with horseradish, speck and a jammy egg.—
Maggie Hennessy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
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But this particular speck hovers in the sky off the east coast of Florida, serving as a seed for water vapor to condense around and form a cloud.—
Zack Savitsky,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This uncanny coincidence — that the Earth’s radiation lines up with the energies of carbon dioxide’s mixed vibrational/rotational quantum state — is how this tiny trace of molecules, mere flecks in the air, completely dominates our climate.—
Joseph Howlett,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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Its black and white or brown flecks convey a fresh, modern feel that's ideal for breaking away from the tyranny of basics.—
María Munsuri,
Glamour,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The slap bet between Marshall and Barney remained one of the longest-running — and fan-favorite — bits throughout the entirety of the series.—
Francesca Gariano,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
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For weeks, with every new bit of evidence that corporations were failing at AI adoption, fears of an AI bubble have intensified, fueled by the realization of just how topheavy the S&P 500 has grown, along with warnings from top industry leaders.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These particles carry proteins and compounds that help cells heal and communicate with each other.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
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Remove Dirt And Debris The first step in cleaning your baseboards is to dust and vacuum them to remove any debris and dust particles.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There are various reasons brown spots or a brown patch of grass appear in an otherwise green lawn.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
15 Sep. 2025
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Some other signs of waning internal energy (percentage of stocks above the 200-day average, etc) which has some on watch for a soft patch in the indexes.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Thinly slice steak across the grain or chop into small pieces.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
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Most humans today, including most readers of this article, get a significant portion of their calories from carbohydrates — grains, tubers, legumes and fruits.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And 92 million metric tons of textiles—which can range from leftover scraps and cuttings to entire runs of fabric—can end up in warehouses, or worse, landfills or incinerators.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Sourcing Journal,
16 Sep. 2025
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Construction and demolition projects are also required to separate and recycle all recyclable materials, including concrete, asphalt and scrap metal.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a brief video snippet accompanying the post, Cyrus is seen in close-up staring directly into the camera while wearing what looks like surgical gauze around her chin and head as more white material is blown by a breeze around her face.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
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Later in the snippet, Cardi proudly acknowledged her worth.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flyspeck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flyspeck. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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